Eternal Moon
by Princess Serenity-chan
Summary: A DaiMao vampire fic: Hamao Kyousuke, a young talent that is dreaming of becoming a renowned performer gets the chance of becoming the assistant of Watanabe Daisuke, an actor who has made a name for himself in the industry. Kyousuke finds that there is something strange about the handsome man who keeps to himself. Little does he know that Daisuke is indeed hiding a dark secret...
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello Minna! **  
I've been wanting to do this ever since I've seen Dai-chan in 'Dracula' last year and I finally found the time for it...  
I proudly present you with "Eternal Moon", which is not only a DaiMao fanfic, but my first vampire story ever!

I've always loved good vampire stories (Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and Anne Rice's 'Interview with a vampire' are two of my favourite books of all time) and I used to watch 'Buffy- the vampire slayer' in my teenage days, but haven't watched any vampire dramas ever since.

Regarding this story, I wanted to keep things as natural and as believable as possible, so if you are expecting a fanfic that includes demons, werewolves and those sort of creatures you'll be disappointed. "Eternal Moon" is a vamipre-only story.

**There are a few Japanese expressions in this story which most of you might already be familiar with, but in case that you aren't, here's a little glossary:**

**otsukaresama deshita** **\- **thanks for your hard work**  
yoroshiku onegai shimasu -** lit. 'please take care of me'**  
ojamashimasu - **I'm sorry to intrude (commonly said whenever one enters another person's house or apartment)

**Alright, that's all I have to say for the present moment and now please enjoy the prologue of "Eternal Moon".**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dai-chan and Mao, nor the locations used in this story. All other characters in this story are fictional and my own creation.**

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**Eternal Moon**

**Prologue**

_Dreams…everybody has them and everybody needs them because those dreams are a motivation to do one's best every day in order to make them come true. I can't recall how many times I've been told something like 'follow your dreams, believe in yourself, your abilities, never give up in spite of the tough times you will occasionally have to go through or the drawbacks you will suffer along the way and you will surely reach your goals and make your wishes come true.' _

_Ever since the day I decided to enter the glittering and glamorous entertainment world, to eventually earn a living with this kind of work, acting on stage and on screen, I've been working hard, have been doing my best and exerting any effort and yet I'm beginning to wonder whether I'll ever make it in this profession and become a respected, recognized actor and artist or if it would be better to give up on this dream and to look for an ordinary job instead for the sake of the social and financial security it entails. _

_I don't want to let go of my hopes and dreams about acting and about becoming a popular artist one day, but I've begun to feel tired and that tiredness grows with every month that I keep struggling on and I start asking myself how much strength I have left. Will it be enough to last me until I can at last reach my goals? _

The ebony-haired youth put his pen down and let out a dejected sigh as he let his beautiful, dark eyes that were of a rich chocolate-brown color, wander over the entry he had just written into his diary.

"Will my time ever come or will I fail as so many others have done before me? At the moment it's sure looking like I'm going to end up being one of the many artists who have tried to make their break-through in this business, but haven't been successful in their endeavors," he murmured almost inaudibly to himself and was just about to pick his pen and diary up once more when a haughty, demanding voice caused him to halt in his actions. "Hamao! Hamao, stop lolling about and get down here at once!"

With another sigh escaping his sensually curved mouth the so addressed twenty-one-year old rose from his seat in the auditorium of the 'Sun Mall' theater, where he and the remaining cast of the stage play 'Kashinfu' were rehearsing for the upcoming performance of the piece and slowly made his way down the stairs and over to the stage, the eyes of everybody who was assembled on it riveted upon him.

"About damn time Hamao," owner of the arrogant voice that had echoed through the room only a minute earlier, Fujiwara Ryouta the actor who had been casted for the main role in the stage production growled and gave the young man a disdainful look. "It's already way past lunch time and all of us are quite hungry, so go to the bento shop around the corner of the theater and buy some lunch boxes. Here's the list of what we want," he went on after a brief moment of silence and held out a piece of paper towards the ebony-haired youth," and hurry already, understood?"

"Why me? Can't you go yourself or ask the theater's staff to get the food," the so addressed actor spoke up bravely, determined to face up to the other man and his colleagues who had been bullying him ever since the first day of rehearsals. "I might not play one of the leading roles in this production, but I'm a member of the cast nonetheless, just like you and the others and I'm not your errand boy."

"But aren't you a part time worker at this theater as well," Fujiwara replied with a derisive, venomous smile playing about his mouth, "so consider running this errand for us as part of your job since working here, even if it's just part-time, technically makes you a member of staff. Besides, I don't consider someone who is merely having three or four short appearances that amount to a total of about ten minutes on stage in a two-hour play as a member of the cast. I really don't understand why the producer and director insist on your attending every rehearsal when one or two days to rehearse your part, plus delivering your lines in the final rehearsal one more time to make sure that you don't mess up during the actual performance, would clearly suffice. And now go get those lunch boxes or do need a special invitation?"

"I…I'll be right back," the ebony-haired youth who had listened to the other's hateful speech with gritted teeth and clenched fists stammered meekly at last accepting the piece of paper that was still being held out to him before turning on his heels and heading towards the doors to the foyer of the theater with tears burning in his big, almond-shaped eyes.

"Not now Kyousuke, not now. Get a hold of yourself," he quietly mouthed over and over again as he left the building and slowly walked towards the bento shop that was nearby, determined not to show any weakness in front of his so-called colleagues that would give them the opportunity to torment him an even greater extent than they already were.

He knew that he wasn't welcome in the cast, that the main actors, Fujiwara in particular, looked down on him and that knowledge was already painful, but to finally being told was a completely different thing. The words the self-proclaimed star of 'Tsuki to Uso to Satsujin' had spoken had hurt him deeply and had truly gotten to him, especially because he had often heard similar things from other artists before.

Since his debut in the entertainment world about two years prior the ebony-haired youth had strived to make a name for himself, had worked unremittingly and indefatigably to get ahead, but except for a few minor roles in small stage productions, the release of an idol DVD and a couple of interviews or short video clips for some ikemen magazine or idol DVD compilation his efforts had remained fruitless, mostly because of his representing talent agency that had, while offering him a contract, been for the most part anything but supportive after the deal had been closed and how was he supposed to ever make a decent career in the industry if neither his management nor his agency backed him up?

"Why can't they just give me a chance to prove myself, just one single chance," Kyousuke mouthed inaudibly while waiting for the lunch boxes he had ordered to be prepared and sighed deeply for the umpteenth time that day. "What ever can I do?" "Number 103, your order is ready," the firm voice of the shop assistant ripped him out of his sad musings and about ten minutes later he was back at the theater where most of the cast of 'Kashinfu' was already impatiently waiting for him.

"Finally Hamao, there you are! It's about time," Fujiwra huffed as he grabbed the bags from the hands of the twenty-one-year old and began to hand their contents to his colleagues. "What took you so damn long? Did you stop for a coffee on the way or something like that?"

"N-No…but your order was quite large and there were a couple of customers before me, so I had to wait for a while," the so addressed youth replied quietly while keeping his eyes bent on the ground; not that he was intimidated or too scared to look up, but knowing only all too well what kinds of expressions the faces of his so-called colleagues were portraying, he had decided to keep his gaze lowered for looks of scorn and disdain were the last things he needed after what had happened earlier and thus, without addressing another word to Fujiwara or any of the other performers, he returned to his seat in the back of the auditorium where he spent the remainder of the lunch break by himself while the rest of the cast went to enjoy their meals in the comfortable foyer laughing and chatting animatedly with each other.

The rest of the afternoon passed rather uneventfully. Kyousuke was asked only once by the director of 'Kashinfu' to act out one of the few scenes he in which he made an appearance, the rehearsal taking less than thirty minutes and he spent most of the remaining time watching the other cast members perform their parts, his heart growing more and more anxious as the afternoon hours kept ticking away for the young man was well aware that the toughest part of the day was yet to come.

Since he was not only part of the cast, but also a part timer at the theater that had been chosen for the rehearsals it was his duty to stay behind at the end of the day in order to help the owner and manager of the theater as well as the janitor to clean the premises and the ebony-haired youth was pretty sure that some of his so-called colleagues would try to make things unnecessarily hard for him.

He should be proven right.

The foyer was a mess, the empty lunch boxes sitting wherever the other cast members had left them at the end of the lunch break, which was anywhere but in the rubbish bins and when he entered the dressing room after everybody had taken their leave to sweep the floor and to wipe the dressing tables the room was covered in rubbish, no doubt thanks to the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' the rubbish bin by the door was only half full while the rest of the waste, consisting of wrapping paper or foil, empty PET bottles and cans as well as some scraps was covering most of the tables, some of the chairs and the floor.

For a long moment Kyousuke could only stare wide-eyed and in disbelief at the mess, tears eventually beginning to cloud his vision. "Why…why are they doing this to me," he sniffed brokenly. "Whatever have I done to any of them that they despise me so much?" And with that the twenty-one-year old sank onto the ground and broke into sobs, finally allowing himself to cry at least some of his grief away and to the tears he had held back for most part of the day to fall freely.

The young man had no idea as to how long he had been sitting in the middle of the dressing room with his knees pulled up to his chest and his face buried in his arms when a firm, yet warm and gentle male voice calling his name caused him to look up. "Hamao-kun?"

"O-Okamoto-san," the so addressed youth sniffed once he had come face to face with the new arrival who happened to be none other than Okamoto Hideo the owner and manager of 'Theater Sun Mall', his employer. "Otsukaresama deshita." "Otsukaresama," the tall, slender man in his mid-fifties returned the greeting and offered his distressed employee a mild, compassionate smile. "I've just now seen the foyer and after what I have witnessed at lunchtime today I don't think it's a coincidence that this dressing room looks even worse, now is it?"

"It was design," Kyousuke sniffed brokenly and furiously brushed away the tears that were still trickling down his reddened cheeks. "They did it on purpose, in order to humiliate me and to give me a hard time. Since the first day of rehearsals I'm constantly picked on by Fujiwara-kun and his friends and I don't know how much more I can take of their cruel harassment and bullying.

Most of these guys have debuted around the same time as I have and it may be true that, unlike them, I got into this business because I had some help and therefore a smooth start in this extremely competitive industry, but still that's no reason to treat me in such a contemptuous way, is it…especially because I've been working so hard to gain more popularity and to get ahead since the day I signed the contract with my agency, not once relying on anyone other than myself and my own skills and talents."

"I know Hamao-kun, I know," the older man replied sympathetically and placed his hand onto the young actor's shoulder to squeeze it in a comforting and reassuring manner. "You've been working here long before you signed that contract with 'Akarui Promotion' after all. I know that you don't want to rely on others or take advantage of any connections you might have and make it on your own in this business instead, but I also know from experience that many newcomers as well as some established talents in this industry are insanely jealous and envious of those who have some connections in the entertainment world while they themselves don't have any and to those enviers it doesn't matter that these connections might be insignificant ones or that not all of the talents who are lucky enough to have some connections try to use them as much as they can to their advantage."

"And because I'm one of these 'lucky' talents I'm treated like the enemy. That's what you are trying to say, isn't it," the ebony-haired youth breathed dejectedly and let out a deep, frustrated sigh when he perceived his employer nodding quietly to confirm his assumptions.

"I know it's easy for me to say this, but try to stay strong Hamao-kun," the owner and manager of 'Theater Sun Mall' picked the conversation up once more after a brief moment of silence had settled between him and his young employee. "I've seen how talented you are and I'm sure you will eventually get your chance to prove that to all those who either have bullied you in the past or are bullying you now, out of jealousy and envy, as well as to everybody else in this industry if you remain strong and keep fighting for your dreams and until that day as well as after you can count on me to be there for you whenever you need comfort, support, reassurance and encouragement."

"Thanks Okamoto-san, you are really kind. It's great to know that there is at least one person in this industry who wishes me well," Kyousuke replied huskily and offered his employer a melancholic yet grateful smile before finally rising to his feet. "I should get started on cleaning up this mess, so that you, the janitor and I can soon call it a day and go home."

"Leave it Hamao-kun," the older man spoke up as soon as the twenty-one-year old had begun to pick up some of the wrapping papers from the floor to stuff them into a big, plastic rubbish bag. "The janitor is already cleaning up the foyer and he has agreed to help cleaning this room as well. You know, until he arrives I'm going to busy myself with picking up the wrapping paper and foil to put it where it belongs, so why don't you hand me that rubbish bag and call it a day? Go home and get some rest."

"B-But Okamoto-san, there's so much to do here. This room is a perfect mess, just look around you" Kyousuke stammered shyly. "Is it really okay for me to leave?" "Don't you worry about that Hamao-kun. The theater is closed tomorrow, so the janitor and I can get some proper rest as well," the owner and manager of 'Theater Sun Mall' replied good-naturedly. "You need a break young man and therefore, as your boss, I order you to go home immediately. Otsukaresama deshita." And with that he took the rubbish bag from the hands of his part-time employee in order to give some authority to his words before ushering the ebony-haired youth out of the room, with a benevolent smile lingering on his lips, leaving the twenty-one-year old no choice but to oblige.

**oOo**

"Here we go again," Kyousuke sighed as he unlocked the door to the theater's back entrance two days later, the grey, heavy clouds that were dulling the sky over Tokyo that morning not doing much to improve his dampened spirits, neither did the fact that he would have to make it through another days of rehearsals, rehearsals that would surely hold plenty of teasing comments, bickering, hurtful remarks, cruel jokes and amusement at his expense in store for him and even though the day had just begun the young man was already wishing it was over.

With a dejected sigh tearing from him, the ebony-haired youth entered the building and headed for the dressing room where he was, about thirty minutes later, joined by most of the other cast members who greeted him with a polite, yet indifferent "ohayo gozaimasu", but chose to ignore him otherwise, just as he had expected they would.

Only a short while later the producer arrived as well together with the director and after a brief morning meeting the whole group entered the auditorium where Kyousuke went to find himself a comfortable seat in the back of the room while the others busied themselves with getting ready for acting out the first scene that was on the agenda that day and thus the morning rehearsals began.

Just like two days prior Kyousuke spent most of the time watching the other performers somberly, except for the one or two occasions where he was called onto the stage to deliver his lines and the young man dreaded the moment the lunch break would be announced for he had a good notion that everything would happen like it had the other day and his suspicions should once more prove to be justified.

"Hamao, get down here and take a look at the list of lunch boxes we want today," Fujiwara exclaimed in a commanding voice as soon as the director had announced the break and left the auditorium with the producer in tow in order to have a private lunch. "Since you are working here you will be so kind and get them for us again, won't you?"

Sighing heavily the so addressed actor obediently rose from the seat he had been occupying, made his way down to the stage to get the list Fujiwara was holding up and waving playfully and had barely accepted the piece of paper from the main actor's hands when the owner of the theater, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, took it from him only to hand it back to the self-proclaimed star of the theatrical production.

"I'm sorry Fujiwara-kun, but if you want those lunch boxes you'll either have to go and fetch them yourself or to send someone else for I have something to discuss with Hamao-kun and the matter bears no delay, so will you please excuse us," the middle-aged man declared resolutely and escorted his young employee out of the auditorium before the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' or any of the other performers could say anything in return.

"Thank you Okamoto-san for stepping in and helping me out back there," Kyousuke spoke up quietly once he and his boss were in the foyer and hung his head, "otherwise I would have been used as an errand boy again. Fujiwara-kun and the others take advantage of the fact that I'm a part-time employee at this theater and use me to do all sorts of things for them and there is nothing I can do against it."

"I know Hamao-kun and like I said the other day, I want to help you as much as I can," the owner and manager of 'Sun Mall Theater' replied, lightly patting his employee's shoulder, "and what I said in the auditorium just now is true. I really came to find you because there is something I would like to speak to you about. So, why don't we go to my office?"

Nodding shyly in agreement and wondering what kind of matter his boss wanted to discuss, the ebony-haired youth followed the middle-aged man to a door at the far end of the foyer that was labeled "jimusho" and entered the room upon his employer's invitation, muttering a faint "ojamashimasu" as he closed the door behind him.

"Well Hamao-kun," Okamoto began once his employee was seated across from him at the large desk, "you have been a part-time worker here for about three years now, haven't you and I must say that I have been more than pleased with your work as well as your conduct. You are a good, hardworking and extremely talented guy who gives himself no airs and as your boss I feel it's about time to reward you for your good work here at the theater."

With that the middle-aged man fell silent for a moment and shoved a photograph under the nose of his astonished employee whose cheeks had reddened slightly. "Do you know who the man on that picture is?" "Y-Yes, of course I do. He is really famous in the theater and musical scene and even starred as the main character in several big movie productions," Kyousuke stammered, blinking a couple of times in confusion, "but why are you showing me this?"

"I'm showing you this picture because that guy's manager is an acquaintance of mine and is currently looking for an assistant for his charge and both men will stop by the theater tonight around six o'clock to have a chat with you about filling that position," Okamoto explained calmly.

"If you can get the job, you would frequently accompany that actor to rehearsals, photo shootings, interviews, movie sets and so on which would be a great opportunity for you to not only meet people who have some power and influence in the industry but to make connections that could turn out to be advantageous for you in regards to your future career. I know that you want to make it on your own in this business, but since your agency isn't backing you up as they ought to you have to look for some support elsewhere because no matter how talented you are and how hard you work, if you don't have any support you can rely on, you will never get ahead in your career. So, do your best during the interview tonight to get the job and don't embarrass me."

"O-Okamoto-san, I…I don't know what to say," Kyousuke stammered clumsily, his eyes widened in disbelief. "That is absolutely amazing! How can I ever thank you for your generosity and your kindness?"

"By getting a big role either in a stage play or in a TV or movie production and then showing that arrogant Fujiwara that you have more talent in one tip of your hair than he has in his whole body," the so addressed man replied matter-of-factly and offered his young employee an encouraging smile. "Of course I'll be missing you here at 'Theater Sun Mall', but I also think it's way past time that the efforts you have exerted over the past two years, ever since your debut, finally start paying off. Unfortunately I don't have any connections that would enable me to directly introduce you to a producer and to recommend you for an important role, believe me that otherwise I would have done so a long time ago, but creating the opportunity for you to become a famous actor's assistant in order to give your career a push is the best I can do."

"N-No Okamoto-san, don't say that. What you have done for me is much more than I deserve. I…I never dared to think that anyone could ever show me so much kindness and give me so much support as you have done," the ebony-haired youth stuttered nervously, trying to hold back the tears that had begun to burn in his eyes. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

"You are very welcome Hamao-kun and now I think you should return to the auditorium. The lunch break is almost over," the owner and manager of 'Theater Sun Mall' replied smiling mildly and rose from his chair Kyousuke instantaneously following the man's example and after he had thanked his employer once more the young actor left the office to rejoin the other performers on stage, his heart fluttering with happiness.

**oOo**

"You'll never guess who just arrived at the theater," Kojima Naoki, a tall, brown-haired guy and friend of Fujiwara, who was a little younger than Kyousuke and who had been casted for one of the principal roles in 'Tsuki to Uso to Satsujin' burst into the dressing room, "none other than Watanabe Daisuke and his manager!"

"Watanabe Daisuke, THE Watanabe Daisuke? You are lying," Fujiwara exclaimed in sheer disbelief, the eyes of the other occupants in the room growing wide at the same time. "What business could a famous actor like him have at such a small theater?" "I'm not lying," the so addressed youth replied firmly, neither he nor the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' noticing that Kyousuke had begun to shift nervously at his dressing table at hearing the news. "If you don't believe me, why don't you go and see for yourself! Maybe they are still in the foyer."

"You can bet on that," Fujiwara declared resolutely and was just about to head for the door when it was opened from the outside. "Hamao-kun, the boss wishes to see you in his office right away and has asked me to fetch you," the janitor who had appeared in the doorframe announced. "Please come with me." "Of course," the ebony-haired youth replied meekly and rose to his feet, not only trying desperately to ignore the questioning looks everybody in the room was giving him as he followed the janitor outside but to calm his racing heart and his frayed nerves as well.

"I can do this, I can do this," the twenty-one-year old whispered to himself several times while making his way to the office of his employer, taking a deep breath when the janitor went in to announce him. "Here we go," the young actor murmured and once more inhaled deeply before finally entering the room.

"Hamao-kun, there you are. Let me introduce you to our visitors" he was greeted by his employer who motioned towards the two men who had risen from the sofa in the small reception area of the office. "Watanabe-san, Kinoshita-san, this is Hamao Kyousuke, the part-time employee I mentioned earlier. Hamao-kun, please meet Watanabe Daisuke and his manager Kinoshita Tatsuya."

"Watanabe-san, Kinoshita-san, it's a pleasure to meet you," Kyousuke stated with a shy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and bowed respectfully to the renowned actor and his manager. "It's nice to meet you too," Daisuke's manager returned the greeting with equal politeness before he and his charge sat back down onto the sofa upon which Kyousuke's boss excused himself for a while. "I'm sure Okamoto-san has already told you the purpose of our visit, so why don't you sit down to have a little chat with me?"

Nodding his head in confirmation the so addressed youth did as he was told and offered the manager as well as Daisuke a mild smile, but immediately cast his eyes when he received only a blank stare from the handsome actor in return.

"Well, Hamao-kun, let's get straight to the point, on behalf of Watanabe-san here I'm currently looking for an assistant for him, someone who can attend to him during movie and photo shootings, rehearsals, auditions and so on and since I've heard good things from Okamoto-san I'm considering you for that job," Kinoshita began at last after a brief moment of silence. "Are you familiar with this kind of work?"

"Yes, I am," the ebony-haired youth replied truthfully, his voice firm and confident despite his nervousness. "I've been working at this theater for about three years now and during that time there were many occasions on which I attended to stage actors and actresses, helped them with their costumes or with practicing their lines and ran several errands for them."

"That sounds very promising, very promising indeed," Daisuke's manager answered in a businesslike manner, "so let me tell you a little more about the details of this job. You would accompany Watanabe-san whenever he wishes you to and attend to any of his needs. Your pay will be 1500 yen per hour and in case Watanabe-san requests your assistance for a whole day it will be 15.000 yen flat. Before signing the contract you will be required to work on a trial period, that period being three days for which you will be fully paid and the decision whether you will get the job at the end of them rests entirely in Watanabe-san's hands. What do you say to that Watanabe-san?"

"The plan sounds good enough to me," the so addressed actor who had remained silent up to that moment replied with an air of decided indifference and for the first time ever since they had been introduced to each other Kyousuke dared to face the other man properly, to take in his appearance and what he saw took his breath away for the youngish man was even more handsome in reality than on any of the many pictures of him that were available had led the ebony-haired youth to believe.

Daisuke's shiny, black hair that was cut in a stylish, asymmetric fashion was framing beautiful, flawless features that were defined by delicate yet manly lines. Smooth, creamy skin as well as a sensually curved mouth only added to the actor's beauty and gave the renowned celebrity a graceful, almost regal air. But the feature that fascinated the ebony-haired youth the most were the other's big, long-lashed eyes that were of a rich, dark-brown color and whose depths were seemingly endless, eyes that that had the ability of drawing anyone in almost instantaneously.

"I'm glad to hear it. How about you Hamao-kun," Kinoshita stated contentedly, thus ripping Kyousuke out of his silent rhapsodies, "are you willing to agree to this arrangement and be Watanabe-san's assistant for the duration of a three-day trial?" "Yes, I am," the ebony-haired youth replied truthfully before breathing a barely noticeable sigh of relief, "and I'm very much obliged to you and Watanabe-san for offering me this chance. Thank you very much."

"Good, that matter is settled then," Daisuke's manager said matter-of-factly and rose to his feet once he had taken down Kyousuke's contact details, had provided the twenty-one-year old with Daisuke's schedule for the remainder of the week and had agreed with him on a date for his first trial day, which turned out to be the upcoming Saturday. "If there should be any changes in the schedule either Watanabe-san or I will let you know and now I should go and look for Okamoto-san. I want to bid him goodbye before I leave."

"I believe you will find him somewhere in the foyer," the young actor informed Kinoshita politely and once they had exchanged their goodbyes Daisuke's manager took his leave, leaving his charge and the ebony-haired youth alone in the office upon which a grave, awkward silence settled between the two young men.

"Ano…Watanabe-san, I would like to thank you for agreeing to Kinoshita-san's proposal and for accepting me as your assistant," Kyousuke spoke up at last, his soft voice, barely more than a whisper. "I promise to do my best. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu."

"Don't think too much of it. I only agreed to this whole scheme because Kinoshita-san and the owner of this theater are old acquaintances and because I owe Okamoto-san a favor," Daisuke replied grimly, his handsome features and striking eyes portraying not only cold indifference, but something else that sent an unpleasant shiver down Kyousuke's spine, "and don't you dare be late on Saturday morning." With that the renowned actor exited the room without bothering to bid his assistant-to-be goodbye and for a long moment the ebony-haired youth could only stare after Daisuke's retreating figure, puzzled at the other's rude behavior and with his heart growing heavy with worry for he couldn't help but feel that there was something strange about the handsome celebrity.

The man had an incredible strong charisma, one that was stronger than anything he had ever witnessed in any other people, regardless whether they had been working in the entertainment industry or not, an air that was appealing as well as alluring, but mysterious and somehow perilous at the same time and suddenly Kyousuke wasn't so confident anymore whether having agreed to work for Watanabe Daisuke as his assistant, even though it was only for a trial period of three days for the time being had been a good idea.

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**A/N:** **Okay, that's it for the prologue. I hope you enjoyed the read. Please take a minute and let me know what you think in a short comment. **

What will happen next? How will Mao's first day as dai-chan's assistant go? Will he and Dasuke get along or will the handsome actor continue to show Kyousuke the cold shoulder? Find out in the next chapter of "Eternal Moon".

**As usual, due to my busy schedule: 4 reviews = new chapter**

**Important: **This story, should anyone like me to continue that is, will be **updated in turns with my ongoing Takumi-kun story "Sourire encore Demain",** meaning **every 6 - 8 weeks**. I wish I could spend more time writing, but being a full time worker in Japan doesn't allow me such luxury. Gomen ne and I hope that you can be understanding.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello my dear readers!  
I'm finally back at working on my fanfics and I sincerely apologize for the delay in the updates, but as some of you already know my grandma passed away in January and I had a hard time because of it. In February and March I was insanely busy at work and two weeks ago my computer started to malfunction and I needed to take it to a repair service.  
But I'm finally ready to update this story and I'm happy to be able to present you with the latest chapter of "Eternal Moon".  
Please enjoy the read and let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hamao Kyosuke, Watanabe Daisuke, Theater Sun Mall and 'Kashinfu'. I only own this story.

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**Chapter 1  
**

"Time surely flies," Kyousuke sighed as he stared at the calendar in the changing room of 'Theater Sun Mall' on Thursday morning and let out a slightly worried sigh while pocketing the keys to the theater's back entrance, a peculiar feeling of nervousness and anxiety beginning to curdle his stomach.

He hadn't talked to Fujiwara or to any of the other members after the meeting he with Daisuke and his manager in the evening two days prior nor had he done so the previous day since the main cast of 'Kashinfu' had been scheduled for a photo shooting and several interview sessions in order to promote the project on a larger scale, events at which his presence hadn't been required due to the insignificance of the part he was playing in the stage production, but he was pretty certain that the self-proclaimed star of the stage play as well as the other cast members had not only heard about Daisuke's surprise visit but that they would without any doubt interrogate him thoroughly regarding the matter and he was dreading that inevitable moment.

On top of that there was another reason for the uneasiness he was feeling, a reason that was directly related to the object of everybody's curiosity itself. Since the ebony-haired youth had been off work the previous day he had used a good part of it to do some research about Watanabe Daisuke in order to get his prospective future employer a little better and what he had found out about the famous actor and his career hadn't done much to ease his troubled mind for the bits and pieces of information he had found online had created the image of a celebrity who was seemingly extremely professional and hard-working, but who also had extremely high standards regarding the people working with and around him.

The image of Watanabe Daisuke he had formed in his mind was that of a man who had very high expectations of his colleagues as well as his staff and usually demanded a great deal of them and the twenty-one-year-old was more than just a little concerned about whether or not he would be able to meet those expectations, especially since the short conversation with the renowned celebrity after the official job interview two days prior hadn't exactly ended on a very promising note in regards to the prospective position itself as well as to the regard the handsome actor was having for him, not to mention the prospect of the kind of treatment he would most likely be receiving from the other.

"Ohayo Hamao," the voice of Kojima Naoki, Fujiwara's friend, ripped Kyousuke out of his thoughts and suppressing a groan of annoyance the young man turned to face the new arrival to return the half-hearted greeting that had been extended to him properly, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed that the idol was not only accompanied by several other members of the cast but by the producer and the director as well, which would spare him the much dreaded 'what was the famous Watanabe Daisuke doing here the other day' interrogation for a little while longer and much to his delight he should be proven right for once the obligatory greetings had been exchanged with everybody the director immediately commenced the coming day of rehearsals with a one-hour long briefing session that was followed by a couple of hours of reading practice and thus the morning hours ticked by rather uneventfully.

However, only about ten minutes before the scheduled lunch break the reading session was interrupted by a knock on the door shortly after which the janitor poked his head into the room. "I'm terribly sorry for the intrusion," he stated momentarily in an apologetic manner, "but I need to borrow Hamao-kun for a while and I was told that the matter bears no delay."

"That's quite alright since we are going to break for lunch in a few minutes anyway," the director replied good-naturedly while nodding his understanding before he turned to the young man in question. "Please go Hamao-kun and rejoin us once you are done with your duties. This seems to be a matter of a certain importance, so you shouldn't keep your boss waiting."

"Thank you for being so understanding Takehara-san," the ebony-haired youth said softly while rising to his feet. "Dewa shitsurei shimasu." And with that he bowed apologetically to the middle-aged man as well as to the remaining occupants of the room before he followed the janitor outside and allowed himself to be led to the office, blinking a couple of times in surprise as soon as he had laid eyes upon the person waiting for him inside the small yet comfortable room since it wasn't the man he had been expecting to see.

"W-Watanabe-san, konnichiwa," he stammered somewhat perplexed and bowed respectfully to the famous actor. "Due to your busy schedule I hadn't expected to see you again until the weekend. To what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit?"  
"You can save yourself the polite palaver Hamao-kun. For once it doesn't impress me at all and I don't care much about these civilities either," Daisuke replied coolly, not showing even the slightest inclination to return the greeting that had been extended to him but reaching for the dark sunglasses he had been wearing instead to take them off, "and regarding your question...well, since you will be working for me for at least three days from Saturday onwards I'm here to let you know that the schedule for your first day of work has changed. You need to be at the event location at eight forty-five this Saturday instead of nine forty-five."

"I see, thank you Watanabe-san for having taken the trouble to come here in person to give me the news," Kyousuke replied calmly, trying his best to fight down the anger and resentment at the other man's rude and arrogant behavior that had begun to well up inside him and offered the celebrity a polite, yet barely noticeable smile, "but for your own convenience you could have just given me or the theater's office a call. Either a member of staff or my boss would certainly have forwarded the message to me."

"Much to my dismay my manager has forgotten to give me your mobile phone number and I couldn't be bothered to look the telephone number of this theater up online," Daisuke explained nonchalantly, "and since I was in the area I decided to come here in person to give you the news."

"If you want I could give you my number now, so that you can reach me any time from now on in case there should be any other changes in your schedule," the ebony-haired youth offered complaisantly in hopes to appear not only professional and seriously interested in the assistant job but to gain at least some of his prospective future employer's goodwill since he had the premonition that, if he should fail in getting on the handsome actor's good side, the three-day trial would most likely turn out to be a living hell. "And maybe you could give me your number as well, so that I can reach you in cases of emergency."

"I guess we should exchange contact details, especially since that baka manager of mine has taken down all your contact information after the meeting on Tuesday night, but has failed to give you his," the so addressed celebrity huffed and pulled a pen out of the breast pocket of his jacket. "Do you have a notepad at hand?" "Sure, here you are," Kyousuke replied instantaneously before he hastened to fetch the pad of paper that was always sitting next to the telephone on his employer's desk and held it out to the older man.

"Thanks," Daisuke mumbled accepting the pas and proceeded to write down several numbers as well as an email address. "Alright, and now pay attention," he announced once he was done and shoved the scratch pad back into twenty-one-year-old's hands. "The first number is my manager's mobile phone number. Call him to confirm schedules, working times and dates and all that sort of stuff. The second number is the one of my agency's secretariat. If you can't reach either my manager or me, the staff at the secretariat can tell you where I'm working and provide you with directions to the location, contact details if applicable and so on. The third number is my mobile phone number and I also wrote down my phone's email address. My phone is always switched on, so you don't need the number for my landline, but don't bother me with messages or calls unless it's urgent, understood?"

"Don't worry I won't," Kyousuke replied complaisantly, exerting any effort to keep his cool and to remain polite in spite of the urge to give his prospective future employer a good tongue lashing for his standoffish behavior for he hadn't done anything to deserve to be treated the way he was by the handsome and renowned actor and began to scribble down his own contact details on the note pad instead. "Here, these are my mobile phone number and email address," he announced as soon as he was done and tore the sheet of paper off the pad. "I also wrote down the number of this theater. If you can't reach me on my phone, you can always call the theater's office and leave a message for me."

"Alright, that's settled then," Daisuke stated pocketing the piece of paper and turned towards the door, ready to take his leave. "Now don't forget, eight forty-five on Saturday morning at Ueno Park."

"Don't worry, I'll be there," the ebony-haired youth replied with confidence in his voice for he refused to allow himself to be put down or intimidated by the other man. "Let me see you out." And with that he opened the door and wordlessly led the renowned celebrity through the foyer to the main entrance of the theater where he bid him goodbye with a polite bow. "What an impolite and arrogant snob," he muttered under his breath as he walked back inside once his employer-to-be had disappeared from his view. "Who does Watanabe-san think he is to treat people he considers not to be of his own station in such a snotty manner? He might not like his manager's idea of providing him with an assistant to be by his side and to attend to him, but that's not my fault..."

"Hamao, we need to talk," his angry tirade was interrupted by Fujiwara's commanding voice and he directed his gaze into the direction said voice had come from, letting out a frustrated sigh when he noticed the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' making a beeline for him with two of his friends in tow.  
"Here we go," Kyousuke murmured inaudibly and forced a polite smile onto his lips before addressing the other actor and his followers. "Fujiwara-kun, what can I do for you?"

"The guy you just escorted outside...that was Watanabe Daisuke, wasn't it," the so addressed idol spoke up sharply and glared at the ebony-haired youth. "I heard it from the janitor and I want to know what's going on here. Watanabe-san already came here two days ago and now again. What did he want here and what did he want from you?"

"Nothing much really," Kyousuke lied keeping a straight face, determined not only to keep the business he was having with the famous actor from Fujiwara and his followers, since it wasn't any of their concern, but to stand his ground and to continue facing up to the group of wannabe stars who were considering themselves above it all. "Two days ago Watanabe san and his manager came to see Okamoto-san. As it is, Watanabe-san's manager and my boss happen to be old friends and apparently Watanabe-san is acquainted with him as well to a certain extent."

"That may be so, but how are you fitting into that picture," Fujiwara hissed, narrowing his eyes in a menacing manner, hoping to be able to force everything he wanted to know out of the ebony-haired youth. "Why were you called into the office that evening?"

"Okamoto-san wanted to show his visitors the appropriate hospitality and had therefore asked me to attend to his guests," the twenty-one-year-old explained holding Fujiara's penetrating gaze without blinking, even though his heart was beating like a drum. "I merely served them tea and some snacks, that's all and they didn't talk about anything special either. They only chatted about some of the upcoming performances here at the theater as well as about Watanabe-san's current stage project 'Dracula' and Watanabe-san's manager mentioned that he is considering to hold one of Watanabe-san's fan club vents here at 'Sun Mall' in the future."

"But what about today," Kojima piped in, "if your boss and Watanabe-san's manager really haven't talked any business the other night, why did Watanabe-san come here again today?"

"He was in the area due to some business related matters and he came to see Okamoto-san, but even as we speak my boss is still out running an errand," Kyousuke explained nonchalantly, his firm, confident voice and straight face giving no indication whatsoever that he was lying, "and since I had already attended to Watanabe-san and his manager's comfort during the meeting on Tuesday evening the janitor called me out again. Watanabe-san came to invite my boss for a casual dinner tomorrow night and entreated me to pass on the message since he couldn't deliver it personally, that's all. And now if would you please excuse me...there are only thirty minutes left of our lunch break and I'd like to eat at least a little snack before the afternoon rehearsal session begins."  
And with that he passed Fujiwara and his friends with his head held high, feeling their penetrating gazes boring into his back as he walked through the lobby over towards the changing rooms.

"Fujiwara-kun, do you believe what he has just told us," Kojima asked carefully once the ebony-haired youth was out of sight. "Do you think his story is true?" "Hamao's explanation of the events that have been happening here since Tuesday seems to be pretty plausible," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' declared, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "However, I can't help but feel that Hamao hasn't told us everything. I'm sure that there is more to the matter of Watanabe-san's visit than he has led on, so tell the others to keep a close eye on that guy and to report every detail about his activities to me without delay."

**oOo**

"The next stop is 'Ueno-Hirokoji'. Please make sure that you have all your belongings with you. The stop after 'Ueno-Hirokoji' is 'Ueno'," the announcement echoed through the train and Kyousuke quickly checked his watch. "Almost there," he sighed before turning his gaze back to the map he was holding in his hands, a map of Ueno park which had been sent to him by Daisuke's manager and in which the famous 'Toshogu Shrine' was marked as the meeting point.

"It should take me about ten minutes from the station to the shrine, so I'll make it to the location with about fifteen minutes to spare and thus even the great Watanabe Daisuke shouldn't be able to complain about my time-keeping skills. I just hope this day will pass smoothly and won't turn out to be a total disaster," he mouthed inaudibly, checked his watch again once he had stuffed the piece of paper into the front pocket of his bag and rose to his feet. "Ueno...Ueno," a voice coming from a recording announced only a few moments later and the young man lost no time to head for the exit of the station that would lead him to Ueno Park as the crow flies, his heartbeat speeding up with almost every step that was taking him closer to his destination.

"I wonder what kind of attitude Watanabe-san will show towards the photographer and the staff during the photo shooting today," he mused as he hurried down the winding paths of the recreation area which were lined with countless cherry trees that were in full bloom thus transforming various areas of the park, including the one he was heading to, into a sea of white and light pink blossoms, "and how will he treat me in front of the others?"

"Ohayo Hamao-kun, welcome to your first day at work," his thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Daisuke's manager. "You arrived early, that's very commendable, not to mention very professional," Kinoshita stated smiling mildly once he had come face to face with the prospective future assistant of his protégé. "If you are that professional when it comes to everything else, especially to performing any of the tasks Watanabe-san will appoint to you promptly and to his fullest satisfaction, I have no doubt that that you will be hired permanently for the job at the end of this trial. Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"Ohayo Kinoshita-san and no, I didn't. Thanks to the map you faxed to the theater yesterday evening along with the detailed directions this place was quite easy to find," Kyousuke replied truthfully and bowed lightly to the middle-aged man in gratitude. "Where is Watanabe-san?"

"Oh, he should be here any minute now," the so addressed manager stated calmly. "He already arrived about one hour ago because he wanted to take a walk and take a look at the locations that were chosen for today's photo shooting in order to get a feeling for the atmosphere of these places as well as to make himself familiar with anything that is essential for the shooting itself, things like natural light, sounds, smells and scenery, spots that are of particular beauty and so on. He always does that for any of his outdoor photo sessions."

"Really, for every outdoor shooting? Watanabe-san sure seems to be very serious about his work and very dedicated to it," the ebony-haired youth answered slightly perplexed, impressed with the apparent professionalism of the handsome celebrity which he hadn't, even after all the research he had done, expected to go as far as he had just been told.

"Yes, he is. Watanabe-san is always very serious about anything related to his work, no matter if it's just a few pictures for a magazine, a big photo shooting like today, an audition, an interview, a rehearsal or a movie shooting," Kinoshita affirmed with a hint of pride in his voice. "That's why it is such a pleasure to work with him and one of the reasons why he is so much respected and admired by everyone who is working with him. The other reasons are his many talents, his charisma, especially his stage and on- as well as off-screen presence, his beautiful looks including first and foremost his natural sex appeal and last but not least his refined manners and his great personality, his inner beauty. A man like Watanabe-san is a rare and precious gem in this industry and I'm very lucky that I got to be that guy's manager. Wait until you have got to know him a little better and I'm sure you will end up thinking just as well of him as I do."

"I hope so," Kyousuke answered quietly, hiding the fact that he was anything but convinced regarding the account of Daisuke's personality and talents the middle-aged man had just given him behind a polite smile, the memories of Daisuke's dismissive, almost hostile behavior towards him ever since their first meeting that were still only all too present in his mind making it hard for the twent-year-old to see the renowned actor as the great guy his manager had just made him out to be. "I'll do my best to be a good assistant to Watanabe-san."

"I have no doubt about that," Kinoshita said good-naturedly and gave Kyousuke a pat on the shoulder in order to give some point to his words. "And now let me tell you about your duties during this photo shooting. Most of the things related to the photo session itself like make-up, styling and so on are going to be taken care of by the staff and the crew. However, it is going to be your job to help Watanabe-san with changing into the different outfits chosen for him, to make sure that he is ready by the time the individual shootings are supposed to start so that we don't fall behind schedule and to see to his personal comfort."

"I understand, I won't disappoint either of you," the so addressed youth replied, trying to calm his racing heart and his slightly jittery nerves. "You definitely picked a very scenic spot for this photo shooting."

"The photo session today is a shooting for Watanabe-san's new photo book 'Sensual Beauty' and a beautiful, serene location like this one, in the midst of the cherry blossom season, that allows us to create a beautiful collection of in- and outdoor photos of Watanabe-san wearing different styles of traditional, Japanese clothing, fits the theme of the book just perfectly," Kinoshita explained in a businesslike manner. "Daisuke will be wearing a range of differently patterned yukata and hakama today and as these clothes will need to be adjusted every now and then so that they can come into their own and therefore you will have to be particularly attentive during each shooting."

"Speak of the devil...," Kyousuke murmured inaudibly when he noticed the handsome actor walking towards him only a few moments after Kinoshita had finished his little lecture and took a deep breath. "Ohayo Watanabe-san," he greeted the famous celebrity with a polite bow and a mild smile gracing his beautiful, delicate features. "I'll do my best to be of good use to you today. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu."

"Hamao-kun, ohayo gozaimasu," the so addressed man replied nonchalantly with a blank, unreadable expression on his face, his eyes hidden behind the dark lenses of the sunglasses he was wearing, and turned to his manager without addressing another word to the twenty-one-year-old. "Have the stylist and the make-up artist arrived yet?"  
"Yes, they are here and should be ready for you by now," Kinoshita replied calmly, "so why don't you take Hamao-kun here with you to the side building of the shrine we are allowed to use as the dressing and styling room and let him help you with putting on your first outfit?"

"If you insist," Daisuke replied in a somewhat standoffish manner and turned his head to face the ebony-haired talent that would be his assistant for three days. "Do you know how to properly tie an obi?"  
"Yes, I sure do," Kyousuke answered confidently, determined not to let the other's snobbish attitude get to him. "My grandmother taught me how to wear yukata, kimono and hakama and she also taught me many different ways of how an obi can be tied."

"I hope she taught you well," the renowned actor stated seemingly unimpressed before turning sharply on his heels. "Come with me." And with that briskly walked away, heading for the entrance to the grounds of the 'Toshogu Shrine', Kyousuke quietly following suit.  
"That guy really thinks that he is the center of the world and that everything revolves around him," the twenty-one-year-old mouthed inaudibly while shaking his head and let out a faint sigh of dejection for he was convinced more than ever that his three-day job trial would turn out to be just what he had imagined and feared it to be, a perfect nightmare and that any of his efforts, however grand, would not be acknowledged by the other man, let alone be rewarded with the offer of a permanent working contract. "What an unpleasant fellow!"

"Listen Hamao-kun, I expect you to work quickly and efficiently today as well as during the remaining days of your trial," Daisuke spoke up once the couple had reached the shrine. "It's nine o'clock already and the first shooting is supposed to start at nine forty-five at the pond and gazebo of the Japanese garden. We'll need about six to ten minutes to get there, meaning we have to be ready to leave here at nine-thirty, so I only have a total of half an hour for hair, make-up and getting dressed."  
"I promise that I'll do my best," the so addressed youth replied firmly as he followed his protégé into one of the side buildings of the shrine where they were already expected by a team of three stylists.

"Ohayo Watanabe-san, are you ready," a fashionably dressed woman, who Kyousuke believed to be in her early thirties, spoke up as soon as they had entered the room. "My assistant Mizuki and I will take care of your hair and make-up today and Yoshitaka here will be in charge of your attire."

"Ohayo Megumi-san, minna. As usual it is a pleasure to be working with you. Please take good care of me. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu," Daisuke replied bowing politely, a mild smile lingering on his lips and Kyousuke's jaw dropped to the ground for suddenly the famous actor standing next to him seemed to have become a totally different person, humble, polite, unassuming and perfectly well-behaved.

"And may I introduce my assistant Hamao Kyousuke to you. He will be giving me a hand here and there throughout the day thus hopefully making your jobs a little less stressful since we are on a really tight schedule today," the ebony-haired youth perceived Daisuke's voice and the mentioning of his full name finally brought him out of his stupor. "I'll try to be of whatever help I can," he spoke up meekly and bowed politely to the team of stylists before proceeding to help Daisuke out of his coat, then accepting the man's bag and sunglasses and while he arranged the belongings of the famous celebrity neatly on an empty fold-up style side table the handsome actor took a seat in front of another fold up table that had a mirror placed upon it as well as several styling products, including an extensive make-up kit upon which Mizuki and Megumi immediately set to work.

Kyousuke watched in awe as the two stylists completed their tasks with only a few motions and when they were done about a mere fifteen minutes later the young man's eyes went wide for the result of the two women's work was amazing.

Daisuke's silky, black hair was parted on the right side of his forehead and some of the shiny strands were flowing in a gentle wave over to the left side of his head thus offering a perfect view of the famous actor's handsome face from every angle. The renowned celebrity's make-up was merely consisting of some foundation and mattening powder, which not only matched Daisuke's natural skin tone perfectly but were applied in such a small amount that they were almost undetectable, as well as of a hint of eyeliner that had been applied to the base of his lashes thus bringing out the beauty, the glow and the endless depth of those captivating, dark-brown eyes nature had blessed him with and some lip-liner that matched the shade of the beautiful man's lips in combination with some colorless gloss that accentuated the contours of his sensually curved mouth completed the styling.

"Watanabe-san...y-you look absolutely stunning," the young man stammered, blinking rapidly a couple of times while trying to regain his composure. "Those pictures you are about to take will turn out to be breathtaking."  
"That remains to be seen," Daisuke replied in a businesslike manner as he walked over to the portable screen that had been put up in the far corner of the room thus serving as a changing booth and motioned for Kyousuke to follow him. "Please be so kind to assist Yoshitaka in getting me dressed for we don't have much time left."

Nodding his head in understanding the ebony-haired youth hurried to join his protégé behind the screen where he accepted and folded the clothes the renowned actor was taking off before helping him into a beautiful, purplish-brown yukata that was decorated with big blossoms that had the most filigree tendrils flowing from their centers.

With skilled hands the young man draped two silk ribbons around Daisuke's chest and middle while Yoshitaka made sure that the hemline as well as the pleads of the upper part of the garment that would be peering out from underneath the obi and would make the yukata look as if it were consisting of two pieces, were even and once he had received the designer's approval he proceeded to tie the obi neatly around Daisuke's middle, succeeding to tie a simple, yet artistic and elegant looking knot at the first attempt, marveling at the subtle, pleasant smell that was emanating from the handsome actor's body and tickled his nose, a smell whose nature he couldn't exactly describe but that was alluring, beguiling and extremely intoxicating.

"You're looking great Watanabe-san," Yoshitaka remarked admiring his and Kyousuke's work with a content smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Now all we need is a necklace as a little eye catcher and then you are ready to go."  
"That's fine with me as long as it isn't made of silver. I won't wear any accessories that are made of silver" Daisuke replied politely, yet with an undertone in his soft voice that made it perfectly clear that he wouldn't have any discussions or book any oppositions regarding the matter.

"Don't worry Watanabe-san. I know that you dislike silver jewelry. Besides I thought that a simple string of small, dark, wooden beads would go better with the traditional outfit you are wearing rather than some fancy and shiny necklace," the designer answered calmly and once the famous actor had been provided with the hand-crafted accessory as well as a fan and a pouch that was matching the yukata in its color and design he asked Kyousuke to get the bag that was containing his belongings as well as his sunglasses from the table and only a short while later the two men were making their way to the location of the first shooting where they were already expected by the photographer and his assistants. "Hello Watanabe-san, you look absolutely fantastic. Let's shoot some amazing photos today."

"Thank you Yoshida-san. I'm really looking forward to the various shootings today and I surrender myself completely to your camera and your excellent care. I'm sure you will be doing a wonderful job, as always. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu," Daisuke replied bowing respectfully to the other man. "This Japanese garden really is a piece of art. Where would you like to start?"

"Well Watanabe-san, I thought we take the first series of pictures in the gazebo at the pond and on the bridge since right now the natural light is just perfect to create the right atmosphere," Yoshida explained and pointed towards the traditional Japanese pavilion in the middle of the pond and the bridge that was leading to it.  
"You are the expert and I'll do whatever you ask me to do," the so addressed actor stated smiling mildly and only a few minutes later the shooting commenced, leaving Kyousuke once again puzzled as well as awestruck, puzzled because of his protégé's demeanor towards the photographer which had yet again been so different he had been receiving from the handsome celebrity so far and awestruck because of the scenes that were unfolding before his eyes.

"Watanabe-san is awesome, absolutely incredible," he mouthed breathy, blown away not only by the famous actor's charisma and incredible sex appeal but also by the man's ability to convey a whole range of different looks and feelings and changing the atmosphere of a shot just by making minor changes to his facial expressions and poses and as he continued to watch the ebony-haired youth began to understand what Kinoshita had meant earlier when he had referred to Daisuke as being a rare gem and thus the shooting progressed smoothly and in terms of work the day turned out to be easier than he had expected for except assisting Daisuke whenever he had to change outfits or attending to him during break times was all he was required to do.

Throughout the day he had tried several times to strike a conversation with his protégé in order to get a clearer picture of the slightly mysterious man who puzzled and fascinated him at the same time, but had failed at every single attempt and had been fobbed off with short, half-hearted answers only which hadn't exactly helped his endeavor to make out Daisuke's true character to at least a certain extent and then there were the actor's rather peculiar habits that only raised more questions instead of providing answers for the ones he was already having on his mind.

For some reason Daisuke seemed to be not only extremely sensitive to sunlight but he seemed to positively abhor it for he had immediately put on his sunglasses whenever the photographer had interrrupted the photo session for a couple of minutes, had kept only in the shade and protected himself with a parasol from the rays of sunlight on top of that and had tried to keep inside the provisional changing room as often and as long as he possibly could between the individual shooting sessions.

"I just don't get this guy," Kyousuke whispered inaudibly while packing up his belongings once the final shooting for the day had ended. "I wonder what is going on inside his head." "Ah Hamao-kun, otsukare sama. I hope you have enjoyed the first day of your job trial," his thoughts were interrupted by Kinoshita who had entered the room without the ebony-haired youth having noticed his arrival, Daisuke following suit. "I dare say that you did a great job today."

"Thank you for the praise Kinoshita-san. The work was fun, but I still have much to learn," the so addressed youth replied humbly and offered the middle-aged man a shy smile. "You are too modest Hamao-kun. I've been watching you all day and I think you did really well," Daisuke's manager stated with determination and gave the twenty-one-year old an appreciative nod before turning to the man whose career he was in charge of, "wouldn't you agree Daisuke?"

"He did alright," the so addressed actor answered nonchalantly as he walked over to the changing booth, "but he still has two days of this job trial ahead of him, so we should save the feedback and if applicable our praises for the final day of the trial period." And with he disappeared behind the screen in order to change out of the traditional outfit he was wearing back into his own clothes, leaving his prospective, future assistant standing in the middle of the room with a blank expression on his delicate features.

"Don't mind him Hamao-kun, he doesn't mean it," Kinoshita spoke up when he perceived the faint sigh of discouragement and dejection that had escaped the lips of the ebony-haired youth and placed his hand on the twenty-one-year-old talent's shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze. "You have mastered this first day of your trial extremely well and I'm very satisfied with your efforts. If I remember correctly, you aren't working tomorrow on the stage production you have been casted for or at the theater, is that correct or has your schedule changed?"

"No, I have tomorrow off," Kyousuke replied truthfully and offered the middle-aged man a shy smile. "Would you like me to work for Watanabe-san tomorrow?"  
"Yes, I do and I would need your services from ten o'clock in the morning to about six o'clock in the evening if possible. The location is the 'Minato community center'. The rehearsals for 'Dracula' are being held there," Daisuke's manager explained factually, a mild smile beginning to tug at the corner of his mouth when the ebony-haired youth nodded his agreement. "Watanabe-san and I will see you tomorrow morning then."

"Yes, I will definitely be there. Dewa, osaki ni shitsurei shimasu," Kyousuke replied with sincerity, unable to prevent another faint, dejected sigh from escaping his lips when received only a succinct, half-hearted "otsukare" from Daisuke who had reappeared from behind the screen but hadn't bothered to face him properly while uttering the formal set phrase and once he had bid the two men once more goodbye Kyousuke quietly took his leave.

"I wish I knew what is going on in Watanabe-san's head," he murmured as he walked down the graveled paths of the park back to the station. "I have never met anyone who is as changeable as he is. What is that guy's real face, his true character?"

**oOo**

'_How do you approach someone who is seemingly unapproachable? How do you break the ice with someone and get closer to them when they don't want to let and do seemingly everything they can to keep you at a distance instead? _

_Looking back onto my first day at work and the things I've seen and experienced I don't believe that my prospective employer really is the rude, arrogant snob I initially thought him to be. But why does he treat me with such contempt and in such a hostile manner as if he was determined to scare me off the job and with that away from him?_

_I want to get to know the real Watanabe Daisuke, but how should I go about this endeavor when that guy keeps pushing me away every single time I try to establish some sort rapport with him…'_

"Arrgh, this whole matter is giving me a headache! Why can't that guy just treat me in the same civil and respectful way he is apparently treating everybody else who is working either for or with him," Kyousuke sighed almost inaudibly to himself, slamming his diary shut once he had completed the latest entry and ruffled the silky strands of his shiny, jet-black hair in a slightly desperate as well as helpless manner before rising to his feet to make his way over to the doors of the train compartment.

"I wonder what today will turn out to be like," he mused as he walked the short distance from 'Toranomon' station to the 'Zendetsu community center'. "It must be quite interesting to see Watanabe-san rehearsing on stage for a big production and maybe I can somehow get him to warm up to me throughout today's rehearsals, even if it's just to a small extent."

"Ohayo Hamao-kun, you're early again," the ebony-haired youth was greeted by Kinoshita almost as soon as he had set foot into the lobby of the building, just like the previous day at the park.

"I've been waiting for you. Watanabe-san is already in the changing room rereading his lines and I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be away all day because I have some other important business to attend to, so please take particularly good care of Daisuke throughout today and I will contact you later regarding the time, date and location for the last day of your job trial. I need to confirm Daisuke's schedule for this week first, but you can expect a call from me either sometime tomorrow or on Tuesday. And now I really need to go. If you should run into any difficulties or problems today, please don't hesitate to give me a call any time so that we can sort things out, okay?" And with that the middle-aged man hastened towards the doors before Kyousuke could say anything in return, leaving the twenty-one-year-old standing in the middle of the foyer, blinking his big, beautiful eyes several times in surprise and disbelief.

"That's great, just great…so it's only going to be 'Mister Big Ego' and me today. Heaven help me," the young man mumbled once he had regained his countenance and slowly made his way to the changing room where he stopped in his tracks and took several deep breaths to calm his racing heart as well as to calm his frayed, jittery nerves before he finally pushed down the door handle and entered the green room. "Ohayo gozaimasu."

"Ohayo," the only occupant of the room returned the greeting, looking momentarily up from the script he was holding in his slender hands. "I trust that my manager has briefed you about today's rehearsal?"  
"Yes Watanabe-san, he has and he has also informed me that he wouldn't going to be around today due to some other business related matters that need to be taken care of," Kyousuke replied truthfully, "and I will do my best to attend to all your needs throughout today's practice session. Where are the other cast members? It's almost nine forty-five, so shouldn't they be here by now?"

"For some reason Kinoshita wanted you to be here at ten o'clock, but since the rehearsal is scheduled to start at ten-thirty it will be at least another fifteen to twenty minutes before the other actors and the staff arrive," Daisuke explained nonchalantly and motioned for Kyousuke to step closer. "I have made it my habit to go to the venue of a rehearsal about one hour prior to the start of the practice session, so that I have some time to read through a few parts of the script. It helps me to focus and to get into the character I'm supposed to portray on stage."

"I see, would you by any chance like me to hear you? That way you could not only check if you can remember your lines, but you could also act them out, at least to a certain extent, " the ebony-haired youth offered good-naturedly and set his bag onto the dresser, right next to Daisuke's, breathing a barely detectable sigh of relief when his protégé, after a brief moment of silent contemplation, finally nodded his head in agreement. "I have to admit that I'm not really familiar with the Broadway production of 'Dracula', but I will do my best to help you."

"I'm playing the role of 'Van Helsing'. All you need to do is to read the lines of the other characters as well as to correct my mistakes and I assume that you should be perfectly capable of doing that, even without any knowledge about this musical and its storyline," Daisuke replied in a businesslike manner while holding his copy of the script out to the twenty-one-year-old who accepted it with a shy, slightly nervous smile on his lips and soon the two men were going through several scenes in which featured the handsome actor's character.

"And you really aren't familiar at all with this production," the famous celebrity inquired casually once they were through and gave his prospective, future assistant and expectant look.  
"N-No, I'm not. I…I only read the original novel once a few years ago, that's all," Kyousuke answered truthfully and began to fidget a little in discomfort under the other man's intense gaze that was resting upon him. "W-Why are you asking?"  
"I'm asking because for someone who doesn't know anything about this production, its storyline and the characters you did fairly well in reading their lines with the right tone and emotion, that's why," the so addressed actor stated nonchalantly before taking the script out of the ebony-haired youth's hands and putting it onto the dressing table.

"T-Thank you Watanabe-san," the twenty-one-year-old stammered somewhat shakily while lowering his head in order to hide the astonishment that was written all over his delicate features for the compliment out of his prospective, future employer's mouth, the man's first kind words ever since the evening of the job interview had caught him completely off-guard and feeling that the present moment might be the perfect occasion to try striking a friendly, casual conversation the ebony-haired youth decided to take his chance. "C-Can I ask you something regarding your job?"

"Since I assume that you would ask me anyway, even if I would say 'no', why we just get this over and done with," Daisuke replied coolly, his eyes narrowing in alert and suspicion and although Kyousuke's heart sank almost instantaneously at those words the young man refused to chicken out of the situation and to give up on his endeavor to break the ice with the renowned actor for whose needs and comfort he could become responsible on a regular basis should he be offered a permanent working contract. "What got you interested in acting and how did you become an actor," he asked carefully and offered the handsome celebrity a shy smile. "Was it difficult for you to make your break-through?"

"When I was still in college I worked part time as a model in order to make some extra money. While I was on a job a producer approached me and I ended up doing some TV commercials that became quite successful. I found that I really enjoyed acting, so the producer recommended me to a talent agency he was doing business with. Apparently the agency liked me and my work quite well because they offered me a very good contract which I signed without thinking twice…end of story," Daisuke replied in a rather short-spoken manner, a certain but indescribable undertone in his voice making it clear that the famous celebrity wasn't willing to elaborate on the subject or to go into details, let alone willing to answer any other questions and understanding only all too well that the conversation was over Kyousuke knew better than to push the matter any further.

"You were really lucky," he replied softly, trying to hide his disappointment about the other man's standoffish reaction to his innocent question behind a mild half-smile. "Not many people harboring the wish to work in this industry get such a chance and if they do, only a few of them can actually use that opportunity to their advantage as well as you managed to."  
"You mean talents like yourself who…," the renowned actor began but was interrupted in mid-sentence by the sound of the door being opened.

"Ohayo Watanabe-san," the voice of Yoka Wao, a famous Takarazuka actress who had been casted for the main role of 'Count Dracula' echoed through the room, soon followed by the voices of several other members of the musical's extensive cast. Only a few minutes later the producer arrived as well, with the director and the co-producer in tow and after Kyousuke had been formally introduced to everybody and the obligatory briefing about the agenda for the day was over the first practice session began.

The ebony-haired youth watched the rehearsal from the auditorium, once again, just like the previous day, unable to take his eyes off his prospective, future employer, impressed anew by the handsome actor's professionalism and positively blown away by his acting as well as singing skills.

"Watanabe-san is amazing, isn't he," the voice of the co-producer ringing in his ears caused him to finally avert his gaze from the famous celebrity in order to face the man who was in charge of certain sector of the production.  
"He sure is and wherever I go I hear nothing but praise from his co-stars, staff and other officials about his skills and talents, his hardworking attitude, his personality and good manners as well as about his professionalism and perfectionism," Kyousuke replied truthfully, " and since I might become Watanabe-san's permanent assistant in the future I would like to know more about him, but unfortunately he isn't exactly communicative when it comes to himself and his career, let alone his personal life."

"I can tell you what I know," the co-producer stated, a good-natured smile tugging at the corners of his mouth when he perceived the twenty-one-year-old nodding his head eagerly in agreement. "Well, Watanabe-san debuted roughly around eight years ago when he was about twenty-four years old," the middle-aged man began thoughtfully after a brief moment of silence and offered his listener another smile. "Like almost every talent in this industry he started out with minor, supporting roles in small TV or stage productions, appearances on some internet variety shows and his agency had him appear in some idol DVDs as well in order to promote him properly to the public. Thanks to his hard-working attitude, his many talents and skills as well as his charming, friendly and cheerful personality he quickly became more and more popular and eventually his career took off like a rocket…"

"Cheerful…," Kyousuke exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes growing wide with surprise. "It's only my second time working for him, but from what I have witnessed so far Watanabe-san doesn't exactly strike me as a very sunshiny person."  
"I don't blame you for thinking that way…I guess nobody could," the so addressed co-producer replied, nodding understandingly. "The man Watanabe-san is today is a very different guy compared to the one he used to be when I first met him only a year or two after his debut and breakthrough. I don't know what happened, but for some reason his conduct and habits began to change drastically about two years ago, just after his thirtieth birthday."

"And you really have no clue or knowledge whatsoever regarding any matter that could have triggered such an extreme alteration of Watanabe-san's personality," Daisuke's prospective, future assistant inquired carefully, his curiosity extremely piqued by what he had just heard.  
"None at all," the other man answered truthfully and let out a heavy sigh, "all I know is that within a few after his thirtieth birthday Watanabe-san had lost his cheerfulness and while remaining perfectly friendly and polite towards anyone he was working with as well as considerate and respectful, he had become not only distant and withdrawn at all other occasions but had started to isolate himself, to build walls around himself and to push anybody away who tried to get even the least bit closer to him."

"Whatever happened that had led Watanabe-san to do all those things and to undergo such a drastic change must have been a very grave matter indeed," Kyousuke concluded thoughtfully, his mind and heart now set more than ever on giving his endeavor to break through the handsome actor's defenses and to get him to open up a little yet another try. "Thank you so much sensei for telling me all this."

"You are welcome Hamao-kun," the co-producer of 'Dracula' replied smiling mildly. "I hope that you can somehow build some rapport with Watanabe-san and establish a good relationship with him for he definitely isn't the cold, distant guy he makes everybody believe he is or at least tries to make them think and I'm convinced that having a friend by his side, someone he could trust and confide in, would do him a great deal of good. And now I should get back to work, so will you please excuse me?"

And with that the middle-aged man gave Kyousuke a light pat on the shoulder as well as another encouraging smile before he quietly took his leave, leaving the ebony-haired youth in deep thought for the rest of the morning, musings that were only interrupted by the firm voice of the director announcing a one-hour lunch break. The twenty-one-year old made his way speedily down to the stage where Daisuke was still talking to the director while the rest of the cast had already gone backstage, which caused the young talent to breathe a sigh of relief at the prospect of being able to catch his protégé alone.

"Watanabe-san, otsukare sama desu," he addressed the renowned celebrity once the director had left, trying to hide his nervousness behind a mild, slightly shaky smile. "You must be quite fatigued after such a long rehearsal session. What do you say, shall we go and grab some lunch together? There are some really nice, but reasonably priced restaurants around here."  
"Thank you for your offer, but I would rather stay here and prepare for the afternoon rehearsals," Daisuke replied in a cool, businesslike manner and turned to leave, only to be stopped by the feeling of the ebony-haired talent's hand pressing gently against his upper arm.

"But you have worked so hard all morning," Kyousuke stated somewhat shyly, his confidence gradually waning with almost every passing second. "You need some rest and surely you must be hungry. I'm sure that some food would do you good even if it's just a little snack."  
"Listen Hamao-kun, I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself and therefore, why don't you just leave me alone and focus on doing your job instead, so that I can do mine," the so addressed actor replied in a huffy manner, brushed the ebony-haired youth's hand, that was still lingering on his arm, off with a resolute decisiveness which made it more than clear that the conversation was over and strode briskly out of the room without sparing his prospective, future assistant another glance.

For several long moments Kyousuke remained standing motionlessly in front of the stage with his head hung and his fists clenched, looking terribly forlorn and dejected. "Looking after your wellbeing is part of my job, but I should have known," he finally sighed dolefully into the quiescence of the auditorium. "Of course his highness would refuse to have lunch with someone like me whom he considers as being so far beneath him. At the rate things are transpiring at the moment I think I will probably be heartily glad if Watanabe-san decided against hiring me permanently once this trial is over."

With that his voice trailed off and with another heavy, slightly desperate sounding sigh tearing from him the ebony-haired youth exited the room and headed down the corridor towards the dressing rooms, only to stop dead in his tracks when he perceived hushed, yet sharp voices coming from the foyer which was situated just around the corner to the right, one of the voices belonging to his prospective, future employer.

"…look, I can well imagine how frustrated you must be feeling because you weren't chosen for the role you auditioned for, but for another, smaller one instead because I have been there myself many times as well, but even though the producers and the director favored me in the end for the role you originally wanted to play, can't you and I just act as professionals should and try to get along with each other anyway?"

"Be professional about this matter, you say? I don't see how! I bet you only got the role of 'Van Helsing' because of your status and most likely you, your manager and your agency used their connections to change the odds in your favor, I'm sure of it," the other man huffed. "You can't fool me with your polite, friendly and respectful behavior. You and your manager definitely manipulated the audition. I bet that it was already decided that you would get to play 'Van Helsing' before you had even set foot into the audition hall."

"I don't know what makes you think on such a way, where you heard such nonsense or from whom, but my conscience is clear," Daisuke replied calmly, but with a stern, somehow dangerously low undertone in his firm voice. "I auditioned for the role of 'Van Helsing like everyone did and I got it fair and square. I have enough talent, skills, charisma as well as experience to succeed on my own at auditions and therefore I don't have to depend on connections or use underhanded methods in order to make sure that I get chosen for a role I auditioned for. Besides, even if I was lacking skills in certain areas relying on my management or the CEO of the agency to get me roles by using their connections would not only be extremely unsatisfying for me but it would also be against my gospel. From the very beginning of my career I have been working very hard for my success and I can proudly say that I can, in good conscience, take full credit for what I have achieved up to this day. I'm well aware that you are anything but happy with the outcome of this audition and that you were only chosen for a minor role instead of the one you had been aiming for, but don't vent your frustration about that out on me by going around and accusing me of having manipulated the audition."

"You can say whatever you want, but I don't believe you for a second," the so addressed actor huffed. "I know your true colors. You didn't play by the rules at the audition and I'm pretty sure that you never do."  
"I don't know what's going on inside your head to profess such ridiculous, far-fetched opinions, but have nothing to blame myself for, nothing at all," Kyousuke's prospective future employer stated sternly and turned to leave, only to stop in his tracks as soon as the other spoke up again. "So that's all? The great Watanabe Daisuke is walking away from an argument about a topic that that puts him into an uncomfortable position, how cowardly is that?"

"I don't see the point of continuing a conversation with someone who is not only being insensible and irrational, but who stubbornly insists on a claim he can't back up with any proof whatsoever and ignores everything that is being said against it because he is unwilling to admit that he has got it all wrong," Daisuke explained calmly, "and I have better things to do with my time than wasting it on discussing a totally ridiculous assertion with the person who professed it when I know that whatever I say will definitely and deliberately be ignored by them."

"Listen carefully Watanabe-san, we both know that the entertainment world is too small for the two of us," the other man growled angrily, "and I for my part consider you not as my rival, but as my enemy. I will compete with you until the bitter end and fight until only one of us is left standing and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure that this person will be no one else but me."  
"Are you trying to threaten me," Daisuke inquired snidely while looking over his shoulder, disgust evident on his fine, handsome features, "because neither am I afraid of threats nor am I scared of a fight and if you really mean to start a war, let me advise you to think the better of it for you might not like the outcome."

"I'm not threatening you," the other actor hissed, "I rather see my words as a proper warning because I will be wherever you are going to be and I won't give up until I have surpassed you and made people forget about you, just you wait!" And with that the young actor turned sharply on his heels and stalked away with his fists clenched and his head held high.

"Ano…excuse me Watanabe-san…I don't wish to seem bold, but who was that guy," Kyousuke asked carefully, making his presence known by poking his head around the corner of the wall once the disgruntled celebrity was out of sight and finally stepped somewhat hesitantly into the open. "I…I…I was on my way to the changing rooms, but then I heard voices and I didn't want to barge in and interrupt you guys…I…please believe me, I…I didn't mean to eavesdrop…really, I swear."

"Forget about it since that guy will continue to share his assertions regarding myself with anyone who is willing to listen to that nonsense," the so addressed actor replied in a slightly dismissive manner, "so you would have eventually come to know everything you heard just now anyway. As for your question Hamao-san, that guy's name is Yamada Akikiko. He debuted about four or five years ago and has become quite well-known since then, but has not yet managed to establish himself among the top performers in the musical and theatre scene."

"I see," the ebony-haired youth replied thoughtfully and for a moment silence settled between the two men before Kyousuke finally picked the conversation up again. "Like I said, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but Yamada-san seemed to be not only extremely unhappy about the outcome of the audition for this musical but also pretty mad at you. What is going on between the two of you? I'm only asking because this seems to be, at least on that guy's side, more than just the usual rivalry and competition for popularity between two renowned talents…"

"Whatever it may be, it's none of your business," his musings were interrupted abrasively by Daisuke's firm voice that was now having a sharp, unpleasant edge in it. "It's your job as my temporary assistant to attend to my needs, nothing more and nothing less, so kindly confine your concern to matters which are within your province and stay out of my affairs. Have I made myself clear?"  
"Yes you have," Kyousuke replied in a meek, contrite manner and lowered his gaze momentarily. "But I didn't mean to be nosy or anything, I just wanted…."  
"I don't care what you wanted. My business is my own and I don't intent on sharing it with you or anyone so wholly unconnected with me," Daisuke interrupted once more with a hint of irritation ringing in his full, rich baritone and gave the ebony-haired talent a long and intense, almost penetrating look which made it perfectly clear that the subject was closed before he brushed past the twenty-one-year-old and took his leave without addressing one more word to the young man.

For several long moments Kyousuke remained motionlessly in the middle of the now deserted foyer, as if he had turned into a statue, taken very much aback by the unexpected harshness of the words with which he had been reprimanded by his prospective, future employer. "I didn't mean any harm with my questions, so there was no need to snap at me like that, even if Watanabe-san wants his private matters to himself. It sure seems that I can't do anything right in that guy's eyes and how am I going to face him now after this quarrel," he whispered softly, letting out a dejected sigh before he finally trudged over to the changing rooms, ruffling his hair in a desperate manner and for the rest of the day the ebony-haired youth exerted any effort to stay away from the handsome actor, until the end of the rehearsal that was.

Knowing only all too well that he couldn't avoid the renowned celebrity forever, not with the final day of the job trial left, the young man made his way down to the stage as soon as the producer and director had begun to praise all the cast members for their hard work during the rehearsal session and called out to his prospective, future employer as soon as everybody had started to make their way backstage. "Watanabe-san, otsukare sama deshita! Do you have a moment please?"

"What do you need," Daisuke asked in a monotone voice and jumped gracefully off the edge of the stage to face his prospective, future assistant.  
"First of all I wanted to apologize for this afternoon. I hadn't meant to cross any boundaries and invade your privacy with my questions and I hadn't meant to upset you either. I'm not the kind of person who sticks their nose into other people's business," Kyousuke explained lowering his gaze. "And then I wanted to ask you if you would like to join me for a casual dinner, my treat."

"Thanks, but I don't feel like having dinner now, I'm not hungry at all," the so addressed actor replied coolly. "Besides I don't like dining out or in the company of others. I prefer having my meals in the solitude of my home and most importantly by myself."  
"I understand, if that be the case I won't bother you again in the future with another invitation," Kyousuke stated softly in a slightly despondent manner. "But you have to promise me one thing, okay?"  
"And what would that be," Daisuke asked skeptically, narrowing his eyes in suspicion and alarm at the other's words.

"Promise me that you will eat a proper dinner once you get home," the ebony-haired youth answered boldly. "You are looking really exhausted and compared to this morning your complexion has lost most of its brilliancy, probably because you haven't eaten anything at lunchtime today and yesterday you haven't eaten anything throughout the whole day either, don't think I haven't noticed. But no matter how busy you are, skipping meals isn't good for your body and your health and…"

"There you go again! My habits and what I do or don't do are none of your concern," the so addressed celebrity snapped enraged, thus interrupting the twenty-one-year-old talent's little speech. "Stay out of my life! Just because you are working for me on a three-day trial basis doesn't mean that you can patronize and dictate me! What is it that you really want from me anyway, some help with your career I suppose? Are you hoping that you can take advantage of my status in the entertainment world and my connections to finally make your breakthrough or maybe even expecting that I will eventually introduce you to a recognized producer and personally recommend you for a major role in some big stage pro…"

The handsome actor didn't get to finish the sentence for the palm of Kyousuke's hand had connected quite painfully with his cheek, the noise of a hard slap echoing through the audience thus interrupting his angry tirade.

"I've had enough! Who on earth do you think you are, you arrogant prick," the ebony-haired youth exclaimed trembling lightly, his voice cracking with rage and his big, beautiful eyes clouding over with tears of fury. "I only meant well and just for the record, I don't need your or anyone's help in order to make my breakthrough and to reach the next step in my career! I don't care one straw about the prospect of becoming your assistant or this stupid three-day job trial! I only agreed to this scheme because I didn't want to appear ungrateful to Okamoto-san who has arranged that job interview with you and your boss without my knowledge and more importantly without asking me and I have never, not with one single word, asked him for such a favor nor would I have ever done so! And the other reason why I agreed to this job trial is because I have bills to pay just like everyone else who is living by themselves, so don't you dare judge me, question my motives or look down on me and treat me with contempt just because you are at the top while I'm at the bottom!"

And with that Kyousuke stormed out of the auditorium, furiously wiping the tears that were trickling down his cheeks away with the back of his hand, leaving a perplexed and stupefied Watanabe Daisuke behind.

**oOo**

"Dinner time…dinner time," the tall, dark-haired man whispered contently as he poured some red liquid into a filigree wine glass and was just about to lift it to his mouth in order to take a sip when his phone started ringing from somewhere in the living room. Setting the glass down with a growl of dissatisfaction he let his head droop momentarily before he finally strode into the living room to answer the call, muttering something about bad timing.

"Moshi Moshi, Minami Keisuke speaking," he spoke up once he had pushed the 'accept call' button, a mild smile forming on his lips as soon as he recognized the voice at the other end of the line. "Hi Keisuke, I'm sorry for calling at such a late hour and I hope I'm not disturbing you." "Dai-chan konbanwa…no, you aren't disturbing me. I was only just about to enjoy a drink, that's all," Keisuke explained truthfully. "What can I do for you my friend?"

"I…well…I…I need to talk with you about something and I would like to hear your opinion on the matter as well as your advice," the other man replied somewhat hesitantly, "for I'm not sure what to do."  
"I see, is this matter you wish to discuss by any chance related to a certain young man who has started to work for you on a trial basis as your assistant," Keisuke inquired casually, a self-satisfactory smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth when his question was met with a few seconds of stunned silence.

"H-How did you know," Daisuke finally asked perplexed which earned him a light chuckle from his friend.  
"Oh come on Daisuke, ever since your manager told you about his plan of getting you an assistant, you have brought up the subject and complained about your manager's scheme basically every time we met," the dark-haired man pointed out factually, "so guessing the purpose of your call on a day that you were supposed to spend with your assistant attending to you wasn't exactly rocket science. Did you have some trouble with the guy?"

"Well, I'm not certain whether you call label what happened as 'having trouble', but…," the so addressed celebrity replied softly and proceeded to tell his friend about everything that had happened at the community center that day. "…and then he stormed off and I was so taken aback by his outburst that I couldn't think of anything to say or do to hold him back."  
"I see and honestly speaking, I can't blame Hamao-kun for his outburst or for the slap in the face he gave you," Keisuke spoke up thoughtfully and ran a hand through his hair, "can you?"

"I guess not. I shouldn't have snapped at him like that for what he had asked me to promise," Daisuke admitted ruefully. "My words have been really harsh after all, too harsh maybe."  
"And not only that. You have obviously hurt, offended and insulted Hamao-kun a great deal with your assertions," the other man explained calmly. "Not everybody has ulterior motives for their actions you know and based on what I have just heard I think that Hamao-kun was merely concerned about your wellbeing and therefore wanted your assurance that you would look after yourself since attending to your needs and comfort is part of his job as your assistant."

"You are probably right as usual and the strangest thing about this whole matter is that I can't even tell why I got so upset in the first place," Daisuke sighed dejectedly. "What do you think I should do now? I guess I owe Hamao-kun an apology, don't I?"  
"You certainly do and I dare say that deep down inside you also know the reason why you acted towards Hamao-kun the way you did," Keisuke stated calmly, his voice ringing with sympathy and understanding for the other.

"You have at last reached the point at which you have a decision to make, not just about Hamao-kun but about your future life. Listen Dai-chan, you have many, many years ahead of you and you have to decide how you want those years to be, whether you want to spend them in solitude and loneliness or share them with a circle of friends, maybe even someone special and the only valuable advice I can give you in your current situation is to thoroughly think it through, but to listen, on this special occasion at least, to the voice of your heart rather than to the voice of reason in your mind."

"Thank you Keisuke for listening and sorry again for the intrusion so late in the evening," Daisuke replied softly and let out another faint sigh. "Speaking to you has helped me a great deal."  
"You're welcome my friend and don't make yourself uneasy because of the late hour at which you called. I'm a night-person after all," the so addressed man chuckled and with that the two friends exchanged their goodbyes before Daisuke finally ended the call.

**oOo**

"…then after lunch we will go through the scenes of the second act," the producer of 'Kashinfu', announced at the end of the first set of rehearsals of the day," and now enjoy your lunch break everyone. I will see you back here on stage in one hour and…oh yes…Hamao-kun, your boss wishes to see you in his office at your earliest convenience."

"Thank you for telling me, I will go and see him right away," Kyousuke replied bowing respectfully to the older man before hastily leaving the stage. 'I wonder what Okamoto-san wants to speak to me about. I sincerely hope this isn't about the incident at the community center yesterday. I haven't heard from Watanabe-san and his manager ever since,' he mused as he made his way to the office of the man who owned the theater 'Sun Mall' and knocked on the door, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves when he was asked to enter.

"I'm sorry if I have disturbed you Okamoto-san, but the producer said that you wished to see me," he stated politely once he had stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.  
"Yes I do. I wanted to inquire how your job trial is going," the owner of Theater Sun Mall replied and motioned for Kyousuke to take a seat. "Are you enjoying your work and are you getting along well with Watanabe-san and his manager?"

"The work is interesting and I'm really enjoying it, especially because I have already learned so much and everybody is really kind to me," Kyousuke lied, not having the heart to tell his employer how things were truly lying between him and the famous actor and not wishing the middle-aged man to worry or to regret having used his connections in order to bring the interview for the job trial about. "Especially Watanabe-san's manager is really patient as well as very supportive. He gives me a lot of praise and I can always consult him if I have a problem or need some advice as to how to go about a task. However, in the end it won't be him, but Watanabe-san alone who is going to decide whether or not I will be offered a working contract and he is a man with high standards and expectations and is anything but easy to please."

"I understand Hamao-kun," Okamoto replied, offering his employee a sympathetic smile, "and I'm very proud of you that you were willing to accept the challenge. Keep doing your best for the remainder of this job trial and don't worry about the outcome. Like I said to you the other day; if Watanabe-san shouldn't offer you the position at the end of your final trial day, you will still have your job here at 'Theater Sun Mall' waiting for you to come back to."  
"Thank you so much Okamoto-san, that is really kind of you," the ebony-haired youth replied and offered the middle-aged man a grateful smile.

"You're welcome Hamao-kun and now I won't detain you any longer from enjoying your lunch break," the owner of the theater stated good-naturedly and only a couple of minutes later Kyousuke left the office, breathing a faint sigh of relief about the fact that his employer had apparently no notion whatsoever regarding the incidents at the community center the previous night. "Yokatta, the last thing I want is to cause trouble for Okamoto-san and make him look bad in front of his friend and Watanabe-san," he whispered softly to himself and slowly made his way towards the dressing rooms, only to be stopped in his tracks by a hand, that had seemingly come out of nowhere, landing heavily on his shoulder when he was just about half-way through the foyer. "Hamao, I have been looking everywhere for you. You and I need to have a little chat."

"What can I do for you Fujiwara-kun," Kyousuke asked cautiously, a bad premonition causing his heartbeat to speed up a notch.  
"A little birdie told me that that you have only very recently started to work for the famous Watanabe Daisuke," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' growled tightening his grip on the other talent's shoulder. "Did you really think that you would be able to keep such news from me or any of the other guys?"

"No, I just haven't told anybody yet because I'm only working on a trial basis for the time being and whether or not I will be offered a permanent position has not been decided yet," the so addressed youth explained truthfully, trying to free himself in vain from the other's painful grip. "I don't like speaking openly about any matters that are as uncertain as this one still is."

"I don't give a damn about what you like and don't like doing, the only thing I care about is that you are acquainted with Watanabe-san," Fujiwara stated in a nonchalant, dismissive manner, "and I want you to introduce me to him at the first chance you get because becoming acquainted with a top actor such as him can only be advantageous for my future career."

"I'm sorry Fujiwara-kun, but I can't do that," Kyousuke answered resolutely and jerked away from the other once more, finally managing to free himself and turned to face the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu'. "I'm not at all close to Watanabe-san and he would consider me introducing you or any other talent to him as an impertinence. I also have to think about my boss since he his friends with both Watanabe-san and his manager and I won't do anything that would make him appear in a bad light or put him into an uncomfortable position. If you really want to be introduced to Watanabe-san so badly, then please beseech your management to arrange a meeting for you."

"And this is your final resolve Hamao," Fujiwara growled, his voice dangerously low and narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure that this is how you want things to be?"  
"I most certainly am," the twenty-one-year-old answered holding the other actor's menacing, penetrating gaze, hiding his nervousness and discomfort behind a mask of perfect indifference. "I can't help you and nothing you say or do will change my mind."  
"You are going to regret this Hamao! I won't let this go, I swear," the so addressed youth hissed angrily and stalked away without sparing Kyousuke another glance.

"That great, just great…even when Watanabe-san isn't around he is still causing me trouble. Thanks to my connection with him the remaining weeks of 'Kashinfu' are going to be a living hell for me, Fujiwara will definitely see to that," the ebony-haired talent sighed and trudged over to the staff room instead of the dressing room in order to seek some solitude and for the rest of the afternoon he avoided the self-proclaimed of the stage production as best as he possibly could, trying with all his might to ignore the menacing glares the young man as well as his followers were constantly shooting him.

Thus the afternoon passed slowly, an afternoon at the end of which Kyousuke was both physically and mentally exhausted and all the twenty-one-year-old wanted was to go home and to somehow get the bad memories about the events of the day out of his head.

"Ano Hamao-kun, before you leave would you mind to come with me for a moment. You have a visitor," he was addressed by the janitor, just when he was about to head for the backdoor of the theater. "I'm sure it won't take too long." "But of course," the ebony-haired youth replied, nodding his head in agreement and followed the older man into his small office, his eyes growing wide in astonishment as soon as he had come face to face with the person waiting there for him. "W-Watanabe-san…"

"Konbanwa Hamao-san, this visit must be quite unexpected and surprising for you," Daisuke spoke up, stating the obvious and motioned for his prospective, future assistant to step closer, "especially after the events of yesterday evening."  
"I have to admit that, after what had happened between us, I was quite convinced that I would never hear from you or your manager ever again," the so addressed talent replied coolly and gave his visitor an expectant look. "So, what brings the great Watanabe-Daisuke here?"

"I haven't told my manager a single word about what has happened at the community center last night and I came here to apologize to you for my behavior towards you and for the way I have been treating you these past two days," Daisuke explained softly, wincing inwardly at the cold manner in which he was received by the other, but knowing that he hadn't deserved any better. "I know that the way in which I have behaved towards you is unpardonable, but I still want to try and make amends if you will let me."

"I will listen to what you have to say," Kyousuke stated seemingly unfazed and folded his arms in front of his chest, determined to let the renowned actor reap the fruits of his own offence, "and then I will decide whether or not I will accept your apology."  
"Fair enough, being given the opportunity to explain myself is all I'm asking for," the handsome celebrity replied with sincerity and offered his prospective, future assistant a mild, melancholic smile. "I am in the truest sense what people would call a loner. I hardly ever socialize with my colleagues after work or in my free time, I'm used to take care of myself and to work alone whenever I can and I don't have many friends inside and outside the industry."

'Considering your attitude I can see why,' the ebony-haired youth thought, but chose to ask a question instead of voicing his opinion out loud. "You don't like to be dependent on other people, is that it?"  
"Yes and no, it's true that I wasn't anything but pleased with my manager's plan about providing me with an assistant and that I vented my frustration about that scheme out on you, not to mention that I tried to scare you off the job," Daisuke explained meekly and lowered his gaze in embarrassment, "but the other reason is that I find it very difficult to trust anyone. After I had become an actor and my career had taken off I have been used and hurt several times by people of whom I had always thought of as being my friends. However, in the end I had to learn the hard way that they didn't care at all about me and that they only things they were interested in were my status, my connections and all the benefits that are generally attached to my profession and that's when I started to shut people out and began to keep everybody who was trying to approach me at a distance."

"I see, so you have nothing against me personally," Kyousuke asked carefully. "You don't dislike or even hate me, do you?"  
"I may have distrusted you and questioned your motives for accepting the job trial as readily as you have done, but nothing more than that," the so addressed celebrity admitted truthfully, "and I hope that you can forgive me. I could understand if you wouldn't and I could understand just as well if you were to turn down the offer I'm about to make, but I want you to know Hamao-san that the job as my assistant is yours should you still want it and I promise that I'm going to be civil from now on and treat you with the respect that you deserve."

"I thank you Watanabe-san and I accept your apology because I'm of the opinion that everybody deserves a second chance," the ebony-haired youth stated after a brief moment of silence and offered the famous actor a mild, yet genuine smile, "as for your offer, I will consider it and inform you and your manager at the end of my final trial day. Would such an arrangement be acceptable to you?"  
"Certainly," Daisuke answered promptly and held out his hand towards his prospective, future assistant, breathing a sigh of relief when Kyousuke accepted it almost instantaneously upon which the two men sealed their arrangement with a firm handshake.

"Thank you Hamao-san for giving me the chance to redeem myself. That means a lot to me," the renowned celebrity stated softly once he had released the other's hand from his hold and after having bid the twenty-one-year-old goodnight he almost instantaneously took his leave, the cool night air that was brushing against his skin as soon as he had stepped outside the theater causing him to close his eyes for a long moment and to let out a sigh of pleasure before making his way towards the nearest subway station at a leisurely pace and only about twenty-five minutes later he inserted the key into the front door of his comfortable 2LDK apartment.

"Finally home," Daisuke sighed as he switched on the ceiling light and trudged from the small corridor over into the main room of his studio-type flat which featured not only a living and dining area as well as a small kitchen, but whose windows as well as the ones in the rest of the apartment were covered with long, heavy and dark curtains. "I need a drink…darn daylight," he muttered as he opened a secret compartment in the back of his refrigerator and took out a bottle that was filled with a red liquid of which the handsome actor poured some into a tall glass standing on the kitchen counter before putting the bottle safely back, closing the door and finally taking a long sip of the drink he had just poured himself.

"Watanabe Daisuke, what have you gotten yourself into this time," he sighed while he took his appearance that was reflecting in the polished steel doors of the refrigerator in closely. His skin had grown pale, almost as white as the skin of a porcelain doll, his beautiful hazel-brown eyes had changed their color and were now a mix of various shades of blue that had purple prisms in them and fangs were poking out from between his lips that were now of a pale pinkish shade.

"Hamao-san can never know about this, about what I am," he whispered softly and averted his gaze from his reflection, "Keisuke was right, I pushed Hamao-san away because he was showing me kindness and tried to become friends with me while I was afraid of the consequences of what would happen if I would allow him to get close to me and he should find out about my secret, afraid that he might turn away from me in disgust and fear once he knows what I am and that I might once more end up hurt like in the past…and I don't think I could bear it to see myself as a monster in someone else's eyes again."

**To be continued...**

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**A/N: Well, and that's it for this chapter...liked it, hated it? Please let me know!  
As usual, due to my busy schedule, at least 5 reviews = new chapter**

For now I will leave you with some questions to dwell on:

Will Mao accept the job offer or will he turn it down?  
How will his relationship with Daisuke change and develop?  
What about Fujiwara and Yamada who have, at least in their opinion, a bone to pick with Daisuke and Kyousuke?

Find out the answers to these questions in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello my dear readers!**  
I'm sooooooooooo incredibly sorry that I haven't updated this fic for a total of eight months, but I had a lot of stuff going on in my life after the death of my grandma earlier this year. My work life as well as my private life have been pretty turbulent and busy, so I barely had time for writing.  
However, I hope that you'll enjoy reading this new chapter of "Eternal Moon" as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Watanabe Daisuke and Hamao Kyousuke.

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**Chapter 2**

Kyousuke pulled the curtains of his bedroom window back which revealed the view out onto a grey, wet morning and watching the droplets of rain trickling down the window pane the young man let out a faint sigh of dismay. He had never liked the rain or the heavy grey clouds that were veiling the sky on a wet day, preventing him from seeing its beautiful azure color he loved so much and the lack of sunshine had quite a strong influence on his mood. Rainy days always dampened his spirits and could easily make him feel a little melancholic.

With another sigh escaping his lips Kyousuke tore his gaze away from the window and quickly threw a brief glance at the glowing digits of his digital alarm clock before grabbing his clothes and heading swiftly to the tiny bathroom of his small one-room apartment. "Watanabe-san and his driver will be here in about forty-five minutes to pick me up, so I better hurry," he murmured as he picked his toothbrush up to get started with his morning wash and about twenty minutes later he emerged, ready for the day.

After having checked the time once more the ebony-haired youth strode over to the small kitchenette in the entrance area to prepare himself a bowl of cereal when he felt something brush against his legs and perceived a faint yet demanding 'meow'. "Good morning Roku, I trust you slept well," Kyousuke said smiling fondly at the beautiful tiger-striped cat and crouched down in front of the feline to bestow some affectionate caresses on his pet which the animal accepted with a purr of contentment. "You want your breakfast, don't you? One bowl of chicken in sauce coming right up…just give me a second," he breathed softly while gently tickling Roku behind his ear and only a few moments later the young man and his pet were enjoying their breakfast.

"Alright, I've got to go. Watanabe-san will be here in a few minutes and I don't want to keep him waiting," the twenty-one-year old mouthed almost inaudibly once he had finished his bowl of cereal and turned towards his furry companion who had begun with his cleaning ritual and crouched down. "I'll be out all day, so be a good boy," he stated smiling mildly while petting the feline's head. "There's enough water and dry food to last you until tonight." And with that Kyousuke rose to his feet, grabbed his bag, phone, and keys before leaving his apartment and swiftly heading down to the entrance of the apartment complex in order to await his employer's arrival and he shouldn't have to wait long for only a short while later an expensive looking car pulled up in front of the entrance and the side glass of the passenger door was let down, revealing Daisuke's handsome face. "Ohayo Hamao-san, if you are ready to go please get in."

"Ohayo gozaimasu," the twenty-one-year-old politely returned the greeting and rushed through the steady drizzle over to the car to climb into its fond where he quickly took his seat next to the famous actor. "Ano…Watanabe-san, how long is it going to take us to get to the theater," he finally inquired quietly after he and the other man had sat in a slightly awkward silence for a couple of minutes and turned his head to face the handsome celebrity properly. "I fear my sense of distance isn't that good since I usually take the train to get around."

"I think it will take us about fifteen minutes to our destination, maybe a couple of minutes more or less depending on the traffic," Daisuke explained factually without making eye contact, "but even if we should get stuck in traffic jam, we will definitely be on time for the beginning of the rehearsal session." "Speaking of today's rehearsal, is there anything in particular you wish me to take care of," Kyousuke replied carefully, trying his best to prevent the nervousness he was feeling from showing in his voice.

"I don't think so. If everything goes the way it should, this final day of your job trial is going to be an easy one," the renowned actor stated and finally turned his head to face his assistant, offering the young man, much to his surprise, a mild, barely noticeable smile.  
"I'll do my best anyway," the ebony-haired youth answered confidently and letting out a faint sigh of relief he returned his employer's gesture, giving the handsome celebrity a beautiful smile upon which the two men fell silent once more, each of them dwelling on their own thoughts.

Thus the minutes ticked away and by time the car pulled up in front of the theater the drizzle had turned into steady rainfall. Scrunching up his nose in dismay Kyousuke opened the passenger door and hurried the few meters over to the staff entrance of the building that was providing some shelter from the rain, Daisuke following his example almost instantaneously. The ebony-haired youth tried several times to turn the door handle, but despite his efforts the door wouldn't budge. "It's locked," he finally stated the obvious and let out a frustrated sigh before turning to his employer. "What shall we do now, wait until the staff arrives?"

"Well, it's only nine o'clock and the rehearsal will start at ten o'clock, so the staff might not arrive before nine-thirty. I'm sorry, I had hoped that at least the janitor would be here by nine o'clock," Daisuke explained after having taken a quick glance at his watch. "But there's a coffee shop across the street. We could wait there until the janitor or any other member of the theater's staff arrives."

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Kyousuke answered without hesitation since he was anything but thrilled at the prospect of having to wait for what could be up to half an hour for some staff to arrive and began to rummage in his bag for his fold-up umbrella. "Do you have an umbrella or would you like to share mine?"  
"Since I was picked up by my agent's driver this morning I didn't bother to bring one, so I'd appreciate it if I could share yours," the renowned actor stated truthfully and only a moment later the two men stepped out into the rain, the relatively small size of Kyousuke's umbrella forcing them to walk side by side so closely that their bodies were constantly touching and thus they covered the fairly short distance to the café on the opposite side of the street.

The inside of the little coffee shop was looking cozy and after having scanned the menu above the sales counter Kyousuke ordered himself a cup of hot chocolate while Daisuke went for a coffee with an extra shot of expresso and once they had received their orders the two men made themselves comfortable at one of the tables at the window that was facing the street.  
"So Hamao-san, why don't you tell me a little more about yourself," the older actor asked casually and took a sip of his coffee. "I never bothered to ask, so I don't know anything about you except that you are a young actor who is trying to make his breakthrough and who is working part-time on top of that in order to make a living."

"A-Ano…my parents got divorced when I was about ten years old and I have lived with my mother ever since, but I decided to move out once I had reached legal age in order to make my mother's life a little easier, at least financially. I have been living by myself ever since my twentieth birthday…well, not quite. I have a pet cat named Roku and the two of us are pretty much inseparable," Kyousuke began somewhat hesitantly after a brief moment of silence, momentarily surprised at the handsome celebrity's question, but quickly remembering the man's promise to behave in a more civil and respectful way towards him.

"I see. You did something quite remarkable for a guy your age and in your situation," Daisuke stated with a faint hint of admiration ringing in his voice. "I guess not many young people whose circumstances are similar to your own would have chosen to do what you have done. Thanks to the job trial I know that you are a very hard-working person who has several jobs in order to make ends meet, but what do you do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?"

"I like playing tennis and during my junior high school and high school years I was a member of the school's tennis club, but these days I rarely find time to play. Another thing I enjoy quite a lot is taking pictures. It's interesting and exciting, but very relaxing at the same time because I can get my mind off things that are worrying me or stressing me out," the ebony-haired youth explained truthfully and offered the other man a mild smile, determined to seize upon the opportunity and to encourage his employer to reveal a bit more about himself as well. "What about you Watanabe-san? Do you have any hobbies?"

"I have been harboring a passion for football ever since I was a child and even now I still take every opportunity I get to play or to watch a match," Daisuke explained calmly. "When I was in junior high school I wanted to become a professional football player, but eventually became an actor instead. I also like marine sports. I grew up in a small town near the sea in Kanagawa prefecture, so I spent a lot of time at the beach swimming, surfing, body-boarding and stuff like that, especially in summer."

"You are quite an active person, aren't you," Kyousuke remarked casually, the other man's detailed answer to his questions encouraging him to continue. "But what do you do when you want to relax, if you don't mind me asking that is."  
"I enjoy taking long walks, watching movies and watching the sky whenever I feel the need to wind down," the so addressed celebrity replied complaisantly, secretly amazed at how easily the other could draw out personal information from him, just by gazing at him, waiting patiently. Somehow the ebony-haired youth had an incredibly soothing air around himself and there was something in his eyes that made Daisuke feel so comfortable and so much at ease that he didn't find it at all difficult to open up to the young artist. "Recently however, I barely have time for taking walks or movie nights at home due to my workload which is constantly increasing," he went on after a brief moment of silence and took another sip of his coffee. "Speaking of which, how did you end up in the entertainment industry?"

"Well, my father has a job that is related to the media and ever since I was a boy I wanted to be an actor," Kyousuke began reluctantly after a brief moment of silence, determined to make most of this rare moment of intimacy with his employer. "When I entered high school a model scout discovered me and I did some minor jobs for some magazines. I quite enjoyed the work and as a result I wanted to get more involved in that industry, so my father used his connections to the owner of a talent agency, who owed him a favor, to get me a contract. In order to repay the favor he was owing to my father the guy agreed to let me enter his agency and to represent me, but he wasn't really interested into building my career or in promoting me to the public, so I ended up on a dead end track.

After graduation from high school I decided to make acting my full-time occupation and I had hoped that I would get at least some support from my agency at that point since I wasn't a student anymore with school-related obligations that could get in the way of my work, but I was mistaken. I didn't get any backup at all and finally the owner of 'Theater Sun Mall' offered me a job at the theater so that I could pay my bills and get in touch with directors, producers and the likes in order to finally be able to advance in my career. He doesn't have any children, knows me ever since I was a little boy and I guess I'm a bit like a son to him. I think that in Okamoto-san's heart I kind of take the place of the child he never had."

"I see, Okamoto-san is undoubtedly very fond of you and therefore he exerted himself to get my manager to offer you the position as my assistant, in hopes that you could somehow profit from that job where the future of your career is concerned," Daisuke concluded calmly upon which the ebony-haired youth nodded his head wordlessly in agreement before letting out a dejected sigh. "Yes, that's exactly what happened," he finally stated meekly and lowered his gaze in shame and embarrassment, "but as I said the other day, I don't want to use your or anyone else's name in order to get me to a point at which I could finally make my breakthrough. I want to make it on my own."

"That is very commendable and I believe you," Daisuke replied with so much sincerity in his voice that it caused Kyousuke's eyes to shoot back up in astonishment. "Thank you, that means a lot to me," the twenty-one-year old whispered softly and couldn't help but blush at the other's compliment, once again surprised as well as confused by his employer's change of attitude towards him and therefore unsure as to how he should react to it.  
"No thanks needed," the renowned actor murmured and turned his head to take a look out the window, letting his gaze wander across the street.

"It seems that the staff has finally arrived. The blinds at the main entrance are up," Kyousuke remarked after he had followed his employer's example, eager to change the topic of their conversation before the relatively relaxed atmosphere between them would turn yet again into an awkward and tense one. "Shall we go? I have come to know that you prefer to study a few pages of the script before the rehearsal starts in order to focus and to get into your character's mind."  
"Sure," the so addressed celebrity answered complaisantly, then rose to his feet offering his prospective, future assistant a barely noticeable yet appreciative smile and only about ten minutes later the two actors were sitting in the quite comfortable green room of the theater practicing lines while waiting for the other cast members and the director to arrive.

As the finger of the clock reached ten the whole group was assembled including the supporting cast members as well as the extras and while Yoshikawa, the director, briefed everyone about the agenda for the day Kyousuke let his gaze wander inconspicuously around the room, dropping it almost instantaneously when he noticed the hateful glares the rival of his protégé, Yamada Akihiko, was shooting into the handsome celebrity's direction, contemplating the few pieces of information about the young man which he had received from Daisuke the other day.

"…and that's about it. I expect to see everyone in the auditorium in five minutes, ready to go. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu," the voice of the director ripped the twenty-one-year old out of his thoughts and as all the cast members rose to their feet to make for the stage he pondered whether or not he should speak to his prospective employer about Yamada's behavior during the briefing session, but remembering how harshly he had been told off the previous time he had dared to ask about something related to his protégé's private and business affaires he finally decided against it and thus the rehearsal began.

From his seat in the front row of the auditorium Kyousuke attentively followed every single scene that was acted out in front of him, once again amazed not to mention captivated by Daisuke's performance skills as well as by the man's incredible charisma and stage presence, surprised when the director announced a five-minute break after what seemed to the ebony-haired youth to have been only a short while, but had in fact been more than one hour and a half.  
"Watanabe-san, can I get you anything, a drink from the vending machine or something like that," he addressed his prospective, future employer and offered the man in question a shy smile.

"Thank you Hamao-san, but please don't trouble yourself. I'm not thirsty," the renowned actor replied politely before turning towards one of the side entrances of the stage. "Please excuse me for a minute. I'll be right back."  
And with that the handsome celebrity disappeared backstage, reappearing just a few moments before the rehearsal was about to continue, nodding a couple of times towards Kyousuke in order to let the young man know that everything was alright before he joined some of his fellow co-stars to rehearse a scene that included a song the director wanted the group to work on. Thus the remaining hour and a half of the morning rehearsal passed swiftly and uneventfully, until the director had announced the official lunch break that was, for an enraged scream could suddenly be heard from the green room while the majority of the cast, including Daisuke, was still backstage chatting with each other, a scream that did not only cause everyone to fall silent and to rush towards the changing room, but their jaws to drop as well at the sight they were greeted with.

Yamada was standing at his dressing table seething with rage as he fished his mobile phone as well as his wallet and several other belongings from his fashionable beige brand bag that was covered with ugly looking reddish-brown stains while underneath it a puddle of brown liquid that had formed. "What happened," Yoshikawa asked, his voice laced with worry. "What's going on here?"

"Someone has poured a bottle of coke into my bag," Yamada exclaimed, his voice cracking with rage and held up a plastic bottle. "I found this in the bin near the door. Everything in my bag is ruined, my phone, my wallet, my diary and most of the other stuff I had in there as well as the bag itself! Those stains will never wash out!"

"But who would do such a thing and why," Yoka Wao, the lead actress asked perplexed. "Such behavior towards any member of the cast is absolutely not acceptable." "No, it isn't and I won't tolerate any acts of bullying like the one we have here in this production," the director replied sharply. "The question is who had the opportunity to do this and whether it was a member of the cast or someone else."

"Hmm, if the culprit was one of the cast members then the only opportunity to do such a thing would have been during the short break we had between the two rehearsal sets this morning," another actor mused thoughtfully, "but all of us were in the auditorium during that break…well, all except…," the man's voice trailed off and his eyes wandered over towards Daisuke who was standing at his dressing table with Kyousuke by his side, his handsome face holding a calm, unreadable expression while the features of his ebony-haired assistant on trial were portraying a mix of confusion and alarm.

"I don't have anything to do with this," Daisuke declared confidently in a firm and commanding voice, "I might have left the auditorium during the break, but I'm not responsible for this mess."  
"And when I arrived with Watanabe-san this morning there was no coke bottle in his bag. I know that for sure," Kyousuke piped in only to be cut off almost instantaneously by Yamada. "That is no proof. He could have gotten the bottle from the vending machine outside," Daisuke's rival exclaimed enraged, "and it's no secret that Watanabe-san doesn't like me very much. He had a reason, he had the opportunity and no alibi for the time he was gone from the auditorium. Therefore the culprit has to be him!"

"What do you have to say to these accusations Watanabe-san," director Yoshikawa asked sternly and gave the handsome actor an expectant look as did everyone else in the room.  
"I have to say only this," the so addressed celebrity replied calmly, "if I had indeed planned to mess up Yamada-san's belongings and to damage them beyond repair, do you really think I would have excused myself to my assistant before leaving the stage for everyone to hear as I have done and on top of that discard the evidence in the rubbish bin inside this room instead of somewhere outside? That's not exactly a very clever plan, now is it? If I really was the one behind this mess, don't you think I would have exerted much more effort to conceal my tracks a little better?"

"You have a point there Watanabe-san," the director spoke up thoughtfully, "and we also have to take into consideration that, apart from the lack of conclusive evidence against any member of this cast, the door to the greenroom was unlocked for the whole duration of this morning's rehearsal."  
"So what are you going to do about all this sensei," Yamada inquired in the whiniest manner. "My stuff is ruined!"  
"There isn't much I can do," Yoshikawa replied calmly, "because we have not enough evidence to clearly identify a culprit."  
"But it must have been Watanabe-san who did this to me," the young actor insisted. "As I said before he had the opportunity and he has no alibi for the time he wasn't in the auditorium."

"That might be so, but there isn't anyone of the cast or staff who can give testimony that Watanabe-san was indeed in here during that five-minute break either," Kyousuke piped in confidently and crossed his arms in front of his chest to give point to his words. "There aren't any witnesses, so all we have here is a coke bottle and your word standing against Watanabe-san's. Naming him the culprit based on merely what you think has happened is not only quite unfair but very unreasonable as well."

"Hamao-san is right," Yoka Wao spoke up nodding her head in agreement to Kyousuke's words, "and personally I don't believe that Watanabe-san would ever act in such a despicable way and willfully damage a fellow actor's belongings, especially since he has no reason for committing such a deed, him being part of the main cast in this production, playing an important role and all."  
"Well, as I said earlier, I'm going to refrain from taking any further actions regarding this matter," Yoshikawa announced sternly, "but I repeat: I won't tolerate any form of bullying or any acts of rivalry among the cast members of this production nor any other action that could make this musical appear in a bad light and if I catch anyone, cast or staff, red-handed, there are going to be consequences! Have I made myself clear?"

Yes, Yoshikawa-sensei," the group of actors and actresses replied in unison and a brief moment of uncomfortable silence settled in the room before the director spoke up again. "Due to this incident, the afternoon rehearsal will be canceled since I doubt that anyone will be able to focus properly after what has just happened, so I'll see you all tomorrow morning at nine o'clock and prepare yourself for a long day for you are going to make up for the time we lost today." And with that the middle-aged man briskly left the greenroom while the cast members quietly began to pack up their belongings.

"Watanabe-san, are you okay," Kyousuke asked carefully as he watched the renowned actor zipping up his bag, but didn't get any reaction whatsoever to his question.  
"Let's go," Daisuke said instead and headed over to the door where he stopped and turned to face occupants of the room. "Minna-san, even though I'm not involved in any of what happened here today, I'd like to apologize to you for this incident and the inconvenience it caused to all of you," he stated firmly and bowed to his colleagues before exiting the room, Kyousuke following suit. "What are you going to do now," the young man asked his future, prospective employer once they were standing outside the building. "It seems that you unexpectedly have the afternoon off."

"I'm sure you must be hungry, so how about lunch, my treat," Daisuke replied, an almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corners of his mouth when he perceived the ebony-haired youth nodding his consent and only about twenty minutes later the two men were occupying a comfortable booth in a small, casual restaurant.

"Watanabe-san, aren't you going to order anything," Kyousuke inquired somewhat shyly after he had ordered himself a bowl of Gyûdon with Miso soup and a drink while his prospective, future employer had merely ordered himself a glass of red wine. "I'm not exactly hungry right now," the renowned actor replied nonchalantly and shrugged his shoulders, "but don't let my lack of appetite keep you from enjoying your meal."

"Alright, thank you. I can understand that you don't have any appetite after what happened at the theater earlier," Kyousuke replied good-naturedly, assuming that the other man's lack of appetite was the result of the "coke" incident with Yamada. "However, I must say that you sure have strange eating habits. Come to think of it throughout the whole duration of my job trial I haven't seen you eating, not even once."

'You have no idea,' the so addressed celebrity mouthed inaudibly before he offered his companion a mild smile. "Thanks for your concern, but don't worry. I take care of my health and I eat properly," he explained, trying to sound convincing, so that the other wouldn't suspect him of lying.  
"That's good to hear. You have a very demanding job and keeping your strength by eating properly is important," Kyousuke replied smiling warmly and was just about to say something else when the waiter appeared at the table carrying the young man's food order.

"I didn't pour that bottle of coke into Yamada's bag. I really didn't have anything to do with that incident, you believe me, don't you," Daisuke finally spoke up after having silently watched his prospective, future assistant enjoying his food for a while, his rich baritone voice laced with hope. "Don't you?"  
"I do believe you," the ebony-haired youth answered with sincerity and raised his head to meet the handsome actor's gaze. "If I hadn't overheard the conversation between Yamada and you the other day in which you appealed to him for the two of you to act like the professionals that you are, I might have had some doubts, but now I firmly believe that someone tried to frame you most likely in that guy's name."

"Thank you for your trust in me," Daisuke replied softly and then took a deep breath before he continued, "I think this is also a good time to talk about another matter. I already told you the other day that the position as my assistant is yours if you want it and now that your job trial has come to its end I'm offering it to you again, officially this time. However, after everything that has happened today I could understand if you would refuse this job offer and I wouldn't hold it against you."

"I have given this matter some thought as well and I'll gladly sign the contract with your manager and become your personal assistant on one condition," Kyousuke replied calmly and let his voice trail of while giving the other man an expectant look.  
"And what condition would that be," Daisuke asked furrowing his brows in suspicion, a feeling of nervousness and anxiety beginning to churn inside him. "What do you request?"  
"All I want is that, from now on, you are going to be honest with me, that you won't keep anything regarding your work from me, including the nature of your relationships with your co-stars and colleagues, regardless of whether they are good or bad relationships," the twenty-one-year old explained calmly, "and you could start with that Yamada guy."

"I guess that isn't too much to ask, considering that in the weeks and months to come you are going to meet a great deal of people who I'm working with or who are working with me," the so addressed celebrity mused after a brief moment of contemplative silence and let out a faint sigh of relief. "Yamada Akihiko is a talented, young actor who debuted about two years before I made my debut in the industry. He was promoted by his agency as an idol with good acting skills while I got promoted as an actor and model. Both of us were quite successful and eventually we ended up being cast as the two main characters in a rather big stage production called 'Toaru Gekai' . The stage play was extremely well received by the critics, but their reviews regarding Yamada's performance and my own were very different, meaning that I was praised in the most glowing terms for my acting skills and stage presence, which gave my career a big boost, while Yamada only received mediocre reviews for his work."

"And I guess that's when the trouble between you and Yamada started, am I right," Kyousuke piped in and Daisuke nodded his head in confirmation.  
"Yes, it was," he continued, a faint sigh escaping his lips. "After my success in that stage production I continued to work very hard. I focused a lot on improving my vocal skills and studied different way of how I can give the characters I have to portray more depth and charisma and eventually my efforts paid off. I succeeded in several auditions for big productions and more than once I ended up beating Yamada out at auditions we had both participated in. And then, the musical and stage play scene is a small world and several times both of us were offered parts in the same production, but due to my acting and vocal skills I usually got the better roles compared to him, circumstance Yamada was anything but happy about."

"In other words, your career boomed while Yamada's progressed only relatively slowly because he has always been in your shadow ever since 'Toaru Gekai'," Kyousuke concluded upon which the famous actor nodded once more, "and therefore he possibly sees you not only as a rival, but as a direct threat to his future career. You think that he was responsible for today's incident in the greenroom, don't you?"  
"Yes, I do, but I don't have any proof," Daisuke replied truthfully and let out a frustrated sigh. "Therefore I beseech you not to speak about my suspicions to anyone for the time being including my manager. Let me account for today's events."

"Of course, if that's what you wish," the so addressed youth answered promptly, his voice laced with sincerity. "I just don't want you to get into trouble with your manager, your agency or with anyone involved in this musical production because of that Yamada character."  
"I'm flattered by your concern Hamao-san, but please don't worry too much about this matter," Daisuke stated confidently and offered his assistant a small, yet grateful smile. "I have learned how to take care of myself in this business. But speaking of my manager and my agency, why don't we head to the office once we have finished our lunch, so that you can sign the working contract while I fill Kinoshita-san in with the details of today's event at the theater?"

"That sounds like a plan," Kyousuke agreed to his companion and future employer's proposal and was just about to refill the handsome actor's glass when the dessert arrived, "and please call me Mao from now on."

**oOo**

"Did he say anything as to why the rehearsals finished so much earlier today than scheduled," Baba Ryouma asked curiously. "It's quite unusual for a rehearsal session to let out at lunch time, especially when the premiere is only about five weeks away."  
"He didn't say anything when he called me this afternoon, but he should be here any minute now and then we can quiz him thoroughly," Keisuke replied with a smirk playing about his lips and the words had barely left his mouth when the doorbell rang. "Speak of the devil," he murmured as he made his way to the door of his comfortable one-bedroom apartment to let his friend and colleague in.

"Hey Dai-chan, there you are," he greeted the new arrival and ushered the handsome actor into the living room. "The noisy guy is already here as well."  
"Noisy?! I'm not noisy," Ryouma exclaimed and gave Keisuke a pouty look which caused the young man as well as Daisuke to break into light chuckles.  
"It's good to see you pal," the handsome celebrity finally spoke up and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder before sitting down on the sofa while Keisuke busied himself in the kitchen area and appeared only a few moments later at the coffee table carrying a small tray. "The drinks are ready. Blood for the vamps and a beer for the human," he announced casually as he set a glass of beer down in front of Ryouma and two glasses which were filled with a liquid of a rich, crimson color in front of Daisuke and himself. "Cheers guys, here's to our vampire-human dream team," he then stated in a more solemn manner and with that the three men clinked glasses.

"Well Dai-chan, what's the news? I was under the impression that you had rehearsals until seven or eight o'clock tonight," Ryouma inquired curiously once he had set down his glass and gave his friend an expectant look. "How come your schedule changed so all of a sudden?"  
"Ano, there was an incident this morning at the theater," the so addressed actor began with a sigh and filled his friends in with all the details about what had happened during the rehearsal. "…in the end however, there wasn't enough evidence to label me as the culprit."

"You were extremely lucky, but you have to be on your guard from now on," Keisuke stated grimly. "It's clear beyond any doubt that this Yamada character has tried to frame you in order to taint your image and to make you look like a troublemaker in the eyes of the production team as well as in those of the remaining cast."  
"I have been very lucky indeed and several people spoke up for me during the interrogation, especially Hamao-san, which surprised me quite a bit," Daisuke replied softly. "Considering the way I have treated him during the first two days of his job trial I hadn't expected him to take my side and to defend me so zealously as he has done. I owe him big time for that."

"Oh yes, Hamao-san and the job trial, how did that go," Ryouma asked curiously. "What have you decided?"  
"I offered him the position as my assistant while we were having lunch today and he accepted," the renowned actor explained nonchalantly, but couldn't prevent a faint smile from stealing itself onto his lips which was something that didn't go unnoticed.  
"For someone who has, until two days ago, been constantly complaining about the idea of getting an assistant and has even tried to scare the candidate for the job off, you seem quite chipper about the fact that Hamao-san accepted the position," Keisuke remarked grinning slyly. "In just three days that young man has managed to get that much under your skin, that it caused you to change your mind about this whole scheme and to offer him the job as your assistant…that's really something."

"Indeed! That young man must be quite a remarkable fellow if he managed to affect our Dai-chan in just three days to such an extent," Ryouma piped in with a teasing undertone in his voice, "when am I wish you joy?"  
"Now don't be ridiculous guys," Daisuke spoke up sternly and rolled his eyes in annoyance at the musings of his two friends. "I offered Hamao-san the position as my assistant because he has done a good job during the trial period, because he put up with my bad behavior towards him and because he had the courage to stand up to me and I admire his spirit as well as his determination to get his career on track without the help of anyone that's all."

"Whatever you say pal," Keisuke replied in the sweetest singsong voice. "Whatever you say, but you can't convince me that you are completely unaware of the fact that, due to Hamao-san's position as your assistant, your relationship will progress and that the two of you will inevitably grow closer. Considering the way things are going at the moment, it seems that you might become really good friends with Hamao-san and once he knows your little secret and has enough trust in you he might even become more than just a friend…He might agree to become your donor."

"What," Daisuke croaked and vehemently shook his head. "I never thought of anything like that when I decided to hire Hamao-san! I don't want a donor Kei-chan and I don't need one either. I'm doing just fine with consuming retail blood."  
"But for how long Dai-chan," the other vampire said gravely. "You are still young, so for now you might be okay with living on retail blood only, but believe me when I say that once you get older the sole consummation of this kind of blood won't be enough anymore. You are deceiving yourself if you think that you can live solely on retail blood forever. Eventually your inner vampire will need to be fed and then what?"

"I'll deal with that problem when the time comes," the so addressed actor replied nonchalantly. "From all I heard it isn't that difficult a vampire to find a willing donor."

"And what about you and Hamao-san becoming lovers," Ryouma piped in, trying to sound casual. "It would be another possibility. I mean he apparently has already gotten under your skin, has broken through your defenses in a little less than a week, so I wouldn't rule out the prospect of the two of you falling in love with each other."  
"Excuse me, lovers," Daisuke exclaimed with a high pitched crack in his voice that made him sound none-too-masculine. "That's preposterous!"

"Is it," Keisuke spoke up gently. "I know you don't believe in fate and stuff like that, but Ryouma might have a point here. After all, if you hadn't been turned into a vampire that night a few years ago, you would have died. I know that you dislike what you have become, but if you hadn't become a vampire you would never have met Hamao-san. I admit you have known him for only a very short time, but could it not be that you became a vampire because the universe wanted you to meet him?"

"Nonsense, Hamao Kyousuke is nothing to me but an employee and my feelings towards him are absolutely indifferent and I highly doubt that they'll ever be anything more than cordial," Daisuke declared resolutely while folding his arms in front of chest to give some authority to his words. "However, I have to admit that I'm a bit worried about him after what has happened today at the theater. Since he already signed the contract with my manager this afternoon he will be by my side almost every day from now on, except for those times when he is working on his own projects and I don't want him to get involved in that mess with Yamada. Hamao-san is my employee now and therefore I'm responsible for his safety."

"Understandable, but the way I see it Hamao-san should be safe as long as Yamada remains convinced that your new assistant is nothing more than another employee to you," Ryouma mused thoughtfully. "For the remaining time of this production, try to keep things with Hamao-san on a strictly professional level. Since he has become your personal assistant the two of you will eventually grow closer, but for the time being treat him with nothing more than distant politeness and everything should be fine."

"I agree with Baba-chan," Keisuke piped in confidently and offered his vampire friend an encouraging smile. "Next time you meet Hamao-san, explain to him what you are going to do and why, so that he doesn't misinterpret your behavior towards him and all should turn out well. However, I think you should also try to keep an eye on him, just in case. It's better to be safe than sorry after all."

"Let me assure you that, from the moment he had accepted the job offer, it has become my earnest endeavor to keep an eye on Hamao-san. I won't allow him to be a used as a pawn in Yamada's dirty game," the so addressed celebrity answered with determination. "This is a matter between Yamada and me and shouldn't involve others."  
"I'm sure you will succeed in protecting your new assistant," Keisuke said and gave his friend's shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "However there is one more thing and though it might not necessary to point this out, I'm going to do it anyway. Try to hide what you are as best as you can from Hamao-san, at least for the time being. You will have to tell him the truth eventually, that's inevitable, but you might want to wait for an opportunity at which you can break the news slowly and gently to him. No matter how much you are still in denial, but that young man has already gotten under your skin and there is a good chance that the two of you will become friends at the very least and in that case the last thing you want is to scare him away."

"Friends...," Daisuke murmured softly and cast his eyes. "I haven't tried to become friends with anyone since…since…" His voice trailed off and the handsome actor let out a deep, slightly pained sigh as a stream of thoughts and questions began to fill his head. How would things change, now that Hamao Kyousuke had entered the picture, had become his assistant and would, due to that position, become a part of his daily life in the days to come?

**oOo**

"Alright everyone, listen up," the producer of "Dracula" Takami Ren announced and let his gaze wander over the cast members and the staff who had gathered in one of the meeting rooms at the 'Maruzen' conference center. "We have thirty minutes until the beginning of the promotional press conference and I expect everyone to be on their best behavior and to answer all the questions of the reporters to their fullest satisfaction. There is a greenroom backstage where you can get ready for the conference and leave your belongings. Well then, if there aren't any questions you are free to go, but I expect to see everyone backstage ten minutes before the start of the press conference, meaning at ten-fifty." With that the middle-aged man's voice trailed off and the room gradually emptied.

"Ano Mao, how about a casual lunch after the conference," Daisuke asked one he and his new assistant had stepped out into the spacious lobby. "I'd like to discuss my schedule with you as well as some other work-related matters and there is a nice restaurant on the top floor of this building."  
"Sure, why not," the so addressed youth replied nodding his head in agreement. "What time does the conference let out?"  
"I'm not sure, but I would say that I should be done here any time between twelve o'clock and twelve-thirty, so why don't we meet at one o'clock in front of the restaurant," the older actor answered after a moment of contemplation, "just in case that my co-stars and I might be held up by the producer and the director after the conference."

"Alright, would you like me to stay in the building during the conference," Kyousuke asked dutifully and gave his employer an inquisitive look.  
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. Once I head for the backstage area you are free to leave," Daisuke stated in a businesslike manner and offered the ebony-haired youth an almost imperceptible smile. "You could do me a favor though," he continued and began to rummage in his bag. "I have a few letters that need to be franked and send off, so could you stop by the post office? Ask the staff for a receipt and I'll reimburse you directly after the press conference."

"But of course. If I'm not mistaken, there is a post office about five minutes' walk from here," Kyousuke answered smiling mildly and accepted the sealed envelopes the other man was holding out to him before taking a quick glance at his watch. "I'll take them to the post office immediately and now I think you should make your way backstage. It's almost time."  
"Yes, I guess I should. I see you at one o'clock at the restaurant then," the so addressed actor replied nonchalantly, "and thank you for running this errand for me."

"You're welcome," the ebony-haired youth replied politely and with that the two men parted ways, Daisuke heading for the greenroom while Kyousuke made his way to the main entrance of the conference building where he almost bumped into Yamada Akihiko who was on the phone. "….good, thanks. I'm counting on you….alright, I've got to go now, but I'll talk to you later."  
Daisuke's assistant bowed lightly in an apologetic manner, a gesture for which he only received a derogative glance from the other man and exited the building while inside everyone was getting ready and waiting for the press conference to begin.

The rows of chairs in front of the stage quickly filled with reporters, photographers and journalists and soon the presenter entered the stage to welcome everyone and to call the production team as well as the cast out onto the stage. Thus the conference began and after all its participants had briefly introduced themselves the interview began and for the next hour the producer, the director and the members of the cast, Yoka Wao and Daisuke in particular, patiently answered every question that was directed to them as detailed as possible.

"Well done everyone," director Yoshikawa and producer Takami praised the actors and actresses backstage once the conference had come to an end. "Every single one of you has done a great job today and this press conference will surely be a promotional success. Enjoy your afternoon and we will see you all the day after tomorrow at the theater for the next rehearsal session." The so addressed men and women of the cast nodded their heads in affirmation before they bade the director and the producer as well as each other goodbye and Daisuke was just about to head to the greenroom in order to gather his belongings when a member of the conference center's staff approached him.

"Excuse me Watanabe-san, I have got a message for you," the young woman stated politely. "Your assistant asked me to tell you that he was done earlier than expected with the errands he had to run and that he is therefore already at the restaurant upstairs and waiting for you to join him at your earliest convenience." "Thank you very much for the information," the handsome actor replied and momentarily lowered his head in a gesture of gratitude before he went to fetch his bag. "That rascal, it has barely been twenty-four hours since he signed the contract with my manager and he is already ordering me around and I do just as he bids," he murmured as he stood in front of the two elevators, shaking his head almost imperceptibly while waiting for one of the doors to open, surprised at his own behavior as well as astonished how much power the ebony-haired youth had apparently already gained over him and once inside he selected the top floor on the touch panel, wondering how his new assistant had managed to get to him so much in such a short time while the lift went up to the restaurant.

With a faint sigh escaping his lips Daisuke stepped out of the elevator, rounded the corner and walked down the corridor towards the entrance area of the restaurant only to stop dead in his tracks when a well-known voice that was coming from one of the nooks in the wall which were used to store the restaurant's tea carts, reached his ears. "How very kind of you to follow my request and to come here at your earliest convenience instead of one o'clock!"

"Yamada," the so addressed actor murmured alarmed, but knowing that he had to keep, at least outwardly, a calm, unperturbed appearance in front of his rival he straightened his back before he turned to face the other actor. "Are you so desperate to see me in private that you had to use my assistant's name to make me come here," he asked sternly and approached the other man, his face portraying no readable expression whatsoever. "That's really low."

"Who cares? You are here, so it obviously worked and that's all that matters," Yamada replied with a smug smile playing about his mouth. "And just in case you are wondering, I overheard the little chat you had with your assistant prior to the start of the conference, so making you come here earlier than you had agreed upon wasn't a very difficult task."

"I see," Daisuke replied in an emphatically indifferent manner, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief that Kyousuke seemed to be safe, "and will you give me the satisfaction of letting me know why you went to such lengths to call me out?" "The reason is very simple. I want you to give up the role as 'Van Helsing' and to announce your withdrawal from this musical production," Yamada explained as nonchalantly as if he was talking about the weather. "But of course I'm well aware of the fact that you will never agree to do so and therefore I have come up with a little plan."

"A plan…what kind of plan," Kyousuke's employer asked his voice dangerously low and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I could just walk away and leave you standing here and I think that's exactly what I'm going to do," he stated calmly and turned to leave only to hear the other actor snicker triumphantly. "Unfortunately you ran out of time and now it's too late to make an escape," Yamada jeered, taking a quick glance at his watch and as if on cue the bell of the elevator could be heard from around the corner, followed by a couple of voices. "Not only did I overhear you and your assistant prior to the conference, but I also heard that the producer and the director agreed to have lunch here as well and now that they have finally arrived, all I have to do is this…"

And with that the young actor toppled over a service cart that was full of glass wear causing the filigree glasses to shatter noisily on the tiled floor, then threw himself into the sharp, pointy shards that were scattered all over the floor, making sure that he would cut his hands and forearms and began screaming in the most desperate voice before Daisuke was given any chance to act. "Why are you doing this to me Watanabe-san? What have I ever done to you that you hate me so much?"

"What the hell…you little, two-timing…," Daisuke hissed in a mix of shock; disbelief and anger, but was cut off in mid-sentence by the prominent voice of producer Takami. "What on earth is going on here! Yamada-san, Watanabe-san, I demand an explanation," he exclaimed in the sternest manner and when the two men turned their heads to face the middle-aged man Daisuke's face fell momentarily and a wave of anxiety rushed over the handsome actor for the director was accompanied by Takami just as Yamada had predicted and to make things worse he could also see Kyousuke standing behind them, his face portraying a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"Watanabe-san picked a fight with me and pushed me so hard against the service cart that I lost my balance. I tried to hold on to the cart in order to regain it, but I was unable to and ended up on the ground with the glasses toppling down all around me," Yamada wailed and grimaced as if he was in a good deal of pain, "and I have cut myself in various places."  
"Watanabe-san, what happened," Kyousuke who had listened quietly to the account of his employer's rival finally spoke up softly and gave the handsome actor an inquisitive look. "There must be some mistake."

"This isn't what it looks like. I haven't done anything wrong and that's all I have to say," the so addressed celebrity replied in a seemingly calm and composed manner. "I have nothing to blame myself for."  
"I'm warning you Watanabe-san, I have heard about the incident at the theater the other day and now this. It's already the second time within only a few days that an unpleasant incident occurred which involves you," Takami spoke up sharply. "And it seems that there aren't any eye-witnesses, so that it's Yamada-san's word standing against yours, just like the other day, but I swear that if one more incident occurs that somehow involves you, you will be removed from this production. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Daisuke replied contritely and bowed deeply in apology to the middle-aged man. "Moshiwakemasen deshita."  
"I'll keep an eye on you," the producer stated rather coolly in return and gave the handsome actor a slightly derogative glance before he turned his attention to Yamada, the director and Kyousuke. "Yoshikawa-san, we should take Yamada-san down to the staff room and treat his cuts. I think there is a first aid kit in that room. And you Hamao-san, since you are Watanabe-san's assistant, should keep a tighter rein on your charge. Make sure that Watanabe-san stays out of trouble because there are going to be serious consequences for him if he doesn't."

And with that producer Takami bent down to help Yamada back up onto his feet before leading the young man slowly away towards the elevators, the director following suit without sparing Daisuke and his assistant another glance.

"Watanabe-san, what…what was that all about," Kyousuke finally spoke up after a long moment of tense, uncomfortable silence. "I just can't believe the story Yamada just told the producer and the director, so what is going on?"  
"Thanks Mao, I really appreciate your trust in me. I know it must sound preposterous, but Yamada staged this whole thing to blacken my name because he wants me to give up my role as 'Van Helsing', so that he can take my place. I haven't done anything to hurt him," the handsome celebrity replied grimly and let out a desperate sigh before he went to explain everything that had happened, Kyousuke's eyes growing wider with almost every word the young man perceived. "…and then the producer showed up with you and the director in tow. But what are you doing here anyway if I may ask? Weren't we supposed to meet at one o'clock?"

"Yes, but your text message said that you would be free earlier than expected and that I should meet you here at twelve-thirty," Kyousuke explained blinking a couple of times in confusion and held out his phone towards his employer. "Here, see for yourself. According to the information regarding the sender this message was definitely sent from your phone."  
"I never sent you a message," Daisuke stated while fishing his mobile phone from his bag to check the 'sent' folder of his mail application and surely enough there was no message addressed to Kyousuke to be found. "Someone must have sent the text from my phone while we were all at the press conference and then deleted it from the 'sent' folder so that I wouldn't notice anything."

"Do you think that someone was Yamada and how could he get access to your phone," Kyousuke asked curiously. "Your phone is locked, isn't it?"  
"Yes, it is, but I'm using a swipe pattern and not a pin code to unlock my phone and finding the right pattern is not too difficult," the so addressed actor replied and let out a sigh of frustration. "Also the greenroom in which we kept our belongings was unlocked during the press conference because that room was used not only by us but by the staff as well. However, I don't think that it was Yamada who sent you that text. He was on stage with us during the conference after all. Therefore I assume that he had an accomplice."

"That makes sense, but if it was Yamada's plan to make you look bad in front of the producer and the director, why did he go to such lengths to make me witness the whole scene," the ebony-haired youth replied thoughtfully. "Using my name to lure you to the restaurant only a few minutes before Yoshikawa-san and Takami-san's arrival would have been totally sufficient for his scheme to succeed. What did that guy hope to accomplish by making me witness the scene as well?"

"I assume that wants you to doubt me," Daisuke sighed. "You spoke up in my defense at the rehearsal after all and quite successfully if I may say so. Yamada suspected that you would most likely do so again at other occasions, which is more than just a little counterproductive for his scheme and therefore he wanted you to witness the staged incident at the restaurant in hopes that it would weaken your faith in me as well as your belief in my innocence. Just forcing me out of this production isn't enough for Yamada. He wants to do as much damage along the way as possible."

"This is outrageous," Kyousuke huffed and scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Shouldn't you talk to someone about this issue, like your manger or the producer of the musical? I mean we do have some evidence to back our claim up and what Yamada is doing goes far beyond anything that could be merely taken as a high-grade rivalry between two popular idols. Besides, I don't think that Yamada is going to stop. He will continue to stage incidents that make you look like the culprit and himself like the victim until he has achieved his goal and gotten what he wants which is to force you out of the 'Dracula' musical as well as to blacken your name and to taint your reputation forever."

"No Mao, I see your point and understand your concern and I'm really grateful for it, but I don't want to reveal any of this to the producer, the director, any of the staff or my manager," Daisuke replied in a calm but resolute manner. "'Dracula' is a big production which is being promoted nationwide on a very large scale and the last thing a production of such a large scale needs is bad publicity like rumors about bad relationships between certain members of the cast, gossip about rivalry and jealousy between the main actors and reports about acts of bullying. However, I don't want you to get caught in the middle of all this and if you wish, you can take leave until this matter regarding Yamada is somehow resolved."

"I thank you for the kind offer Watanabe-san, but I won't leave your side. Have no fear I'm going to be okay. It's you I'm concerned about," the so addressed youth answered without hesitation and gave his employer a worried glance. "Yamada seems to be a loose canon and he definitely can't be reasoned with. Who knows what kind of stunt he is going to pull next time."  
"We both have to be very careful from now on. Promise me that you won't let your guard down until the end of this production," Daisuke stated with a solemn expression on his handsome face, a faint, barely noticeable smile of relief tugging at the corners of his moth when his assistant eagerly nodded his agreement. "I think I should call my manager and inform him that there has been an incident after the press conference for he is going to hear about it anyway and I'd rather he gets the information directly from me instead of receiving it through another channel. Would you be very upset if we canceled our lunch? I promise that I'll make it up to you and treat you to a nice meal some other time."

"No, of course not. Do what you have to do. This matter is more important than a lunch date," Kyousuke answered truthfully and the handsome actor a mild smile. "Let's have a nice celebratory lunch or dinner instead once this whole mess between Yamada and you is straightened out. Besides, you are looking rather pale and fatigued, so maybe you should take a little rest. As far as I'm informed there is nothing else on your agenda for today until your private singing practice at five o'clock."

"I can't. I have some errands to run and I'd like you to accompany me, so could you meet me at the back entrance of this building in about half an hour," the so addressed celebrity inquired in a casual yet polite manner, taking his leave as soon as his ebony-haired assistant had voiced his understanding and agreement.

"I wonder if Watanabe-san is okay. He said that he eats regularly and carefully looks after his health, but he often looks so pale and seems to be so exhausted at the end of the day that I doubt it. And now that Yamada fellow is causing trouble for him…I won't let Watanabe-san out of my sight until this matter is resolved and I'll be extra careful and attentive," Kyousuke murmured to himself as he watched his employer's retreating figure until had finally disappeared around the corner leading to the elevators and nodded his head in determination at his words, his resolve to become the handsome actor's rock to build on strengthened. "I'll do whatever I can to protect him from his rival and to keep him from harm." And with that the young man made his way to the elevators as well, his mind occupied with Daisuke and the most recent events.

Once he had reached the ground floor he stepped out of the lift, briskly crossed the spacious lobby and headed for the staff entrance backstage only to be held up by the director of 'Dracula' almost as soon as he had entered the backstage area. "Hamao-san, do you have a moment? I'd like to have a word with you," the middle-aged man exclaimed, his firm voice which had a stern undertone ringing in it making the ebony-haired youth instantaneously stop dead in his tracks. "Of course Yoshikawa-san," he replied somewhat hesitantly and momentarily lowered his head as a gesture of respect. "How can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak with you about your employer Watanabe-san because I'm quite concerned about the recent events involving him and Yamada-san," Yoshikawa explained in a business-like manner. "You are his assistant, so I assume that you are fairly close to him. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Ano, I got the job as Watanabe-san's assistant only very recently. I fact I have been working with Watanabe-san for a total of four days including today, so I don't know much about him yet and for the same reason I'm not close to him at all," Kyousuke explained truthfully, for a moment contemplating to confide in the director, but remembering how much Daisuke had entreated him to keep the affair regarding Yamada secret, he refrained from filling the middle-aged man in with any details of the matter. "I can well imagine how worried you and the producer must be after what happened at the theater the other day and today after the press conference, but let me assure you that Watanabe-san would never do anything so low as bullying and deliberately hurting a co-star or colleague, even if that person is his rival in business," he continued after a brief moment of silence, his voice firm, confident and sincere. "Things aren't always as they seem to be at the first glance. Please continue trusting Watanabe-san and keep on believing in him despite of what has happened. Your faith won't be misplaced."

"I hope for Watanabe-san's sake as well as for the sake of this whole production that you are right, that my first impression of your employer was correct and that you have judged his character rightly as well." Yoshikawa sighed and gave Kyousuke a pat on the shoulder before finally excusing himself. "Great," the ebony-haired youth muttered once he was alone and let out a sigh of frustration, "just great. It seems that Watanabe-san is really in trouble after today's incident, just like Yamada had wanted…but we can't allow him to succeed with his evil scheme…never ever."

**oOo**

"…so nine-thirty at the theater, the day after tomorrow, I'll be there," Daisuke practically bellowed into the speaker of his mobile phone before ending the call and was just about to shove the device back into his bag when the squeaking sound of the heavy steel door of the staff entrance being opened caused him to stop in his motions and to turn sharply on his heels upon which he was greeted with the sight of Kyousuke's slightly pale face.

"Mao, are you alright," he asked curiously and questioningly raised his eyebrows which caused the ebony-haired youth to nod hastily.  
"I'm okay, don't worry. I only had a run-in with the director just now on my here and he tried to quiz me about you and Yamada, but I didn't tell him anything," he explained, trying to sound calm and confident. "He is quite concerned about the things that are happening."  
"I can't blame him," Daisuke replied and let out a faint sigh. "This project is a very important one for him after all. Are you ready to go?"

"Sure, ready when you are," Kyousuke said and offered his employer a warm smile. "Where do you want to go first?"  
"I need to stop by the office of a manager at 'Stardust Entertainment' to pick up some papers for a television broadcast I'm going to appear in with one of the talents he manages," the handsome actor answered casually and stepped out of the shade of the small awning into the sun where he immediately hid his head and face under the hood of his light jacket.

"You really hate the sun, don't you," Kyousuke remarked as they made their way down the sidewalk towards the nearest subway station and lightly shook his head at his employer's antics. "During the photo session the other day I thought you only kept in the shade all the time for the sake of not ruining the make-up you had to wear for the shooting, but then I realized that you always seem to avoid the sun as much as possible whenever you can. Are you allergic to sunlight or something like that?"

"No, I'm not allergic to it, I'm just not exactly a fan of sunlight. It's not good for my complexion and causes sunspots to appear," Daisuke explained matter-of-factly, slightly turning his face away from his, apparently keen-eyed and ever observant assistant as he spoke and quickly attempted to change the subject. "But enough about me, what about you Mao? How are the rehearsals for your stage play going?"

"Well, I'll be rehearsing all day tomorrow and things are going okay, just the guy who is playing the lead role is giving me a bit of a hard time," the ebony-haired youth answered truthfully and let out a sigh. "He is a very arrogant fellow and thinks he is the king of the theater world."  
"I see," Daisuke stated and nodded understandingly. "People like that are always a nuisance to work with, just try to hang in there until the curtain rises on the opening night." And with that the renowned celebrity gave his assistant an encouraging pat on the shoulder before he disappeared in the entrance to the subway station Kyousuke quickly following suit, smiling mildly to himself at the kind gesture the other man had just shown him.

**To Be Continued…**

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**A/N: And that's it for this chapter...I hope you enjoyed the read. Please let me know what you think in a little comment.**

What will happen next?

What is Yamada up to and what stunt will he pull next in order to discredit Daisuke?  
How will the relationship between Daisuke and Mao develop?  
How long can Daisuke keep his secret from his new assistant?  
Were Kei-chan and Baba-chan right with their assumptions?  
Questions over questions...

Find the answer to some of them in the next chapter of "Eternal Moon"!

As usual, due to my busy schedule, 5 reviews = update and I promise that I will update as quickly as I can.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:**** Hello Minna!**

**I sincerely apologize for having made you wait again for such a long time for an update of this story.**  
**Working on two multi-chaptered fanfics at the same time when working fulltime six days a week is quite a challenge.**

**Anyway, here it finally is, the latest chapter of "Eternal Moon".**  
**I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter as much as I have enjoyed writing it.**  
**I'd also be very grateful if you would share your thoughts and opinions with me in a little review/comment.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Watanabe Daisuke, Hamao Kyosuke, Ryouma Baba, Minami Keisuke, Dracula - the musical and Kashinfu.  
I only own this story and the original characters I have created for it**.  
**

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**Chapter 3**

Kyousuke unlocked the door of the staff entrance at 'Theater Sun Mall' and let out a frustrated sigh, Fujiwara's threat from the other day to make him pay for not having introduced the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' to his new employer, the famous Watanabe Daisuke, still being only all too present in the young actor's mind. "From now on until the end of this production my life is going to be a living hell. That guy will never forgive me and he won't give me a moment's peace until he gets what he wants," the ebony-haired youth murmured quietly to himself and dropped his head for a moment before he finally entered the theater with another sigh tearing from him and headed for the greenroom.

Once he had made himself comfortable at one of the dressing tables he took out his copy of the script in order to go over his lines again, even though there weren't many of them and had just read the first couple of words when a gentle knock on the door made his head snap up and turn towards the half-open door. "Okamoto-san." "Good morning Hamao-kun," the owner of the theater greeted the young man smiling mildly. "How are you? I just want to congratulate you on getting the job as Watanabe-san's assistant. Kinoshita-san called me yesterday to give me the news. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks Okamoto-san," the so addressed youth replied smiling gratefully, "and thank you for everything you have done. Without you I would have never gotten the chance to have an interview with Watanabe-san and his manager and to do a job trial." "You're very welcome," Okamoto stated smiling back at his employee. "I'm glad I could help. Are you getting along well with Watanabe-san?"

"Well, we had a couple of difficulties in the beginning, but now everything is alright between us. I guess it just took us some time to warm up to each other," Kyousuke explained truthfully and let his voice trail off for a moment before he continued. "Ano Okamoto-san," can I ask you a favor? I might be Watanabe-san's assistant now, but if possible I would like to continue working here on my days off or whenever Watanabe-san doesn't need me around, even if it's just for a few hours every week."

"Of course you can Hamao-kun, but won't it be too stressful for you to have two jobs on top of pursuing your acting career," the owner of 'Theater Sun Mall' asked gently and gave the twenty-one-year-old a questioning look. Are you sure you can handle it?" "Yes, I am. Thank you for your concern," the young actor replied smiling somewhat melancholically. "I won't be burning the candle on both ends since for the time being I don't have any other engagements after the final performance of 'Kashinfu' yet."

"You shouldn't worry about that too much. I'm sure that by the time of the senshuuraku of this stage play you will have a new project to work on," Okamoto stated with confidence, smiling in the most encouraging and reassuring manner at the ebony-haired youth, "but however that may be, if you really want to continue working here as a part time employee, I will be more than happy to oblige you." "Thank you Okamoto-san, for everything," the so addressed actor beamed and bowed his head momentarily to the middle-aged man in a gesture of respect. "I'm really obliged to you."

"Not at all Hamao-kun, not at all," the owner of 'Theater Sun Mall' replied good-naturedly and reached out to gently pat Kyousuke's shoulder. "And now I won't keep you any longer from your preparations for today's rehearsal. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to my office, especially if you run into trouble with that fellow Fujiwara-kun again." And with that the middle-aged man exited the room, leaving his young part-time employee staring after his retreating back with a mild, affectionate smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and Kyousuke was just about to turn his attention back to the script on the dressing table when a babble of voices in the distance, but coming closer with every passing second announced the arrival of some cast members.

"Here we go," the twenty-one-year-old sighed squaring his shoulders and straightening his back and only a moment later a group of actors and actresses including the self-proclaimed star of the production burst into the room. "Hey Hamao, what a stroke of fortune that you are already here, " Fujiwara exclaimed and approached the young man with an emphatically scornful grin on his face. "We still have about thirty minutes before the rehearsal begins, so go to the convenience store around the corner and get us some coffee."

"I'm sorry Fujiwara, but I'm not working as a part-time staff of this theater today. It's my day off," Kyousuke replied calmly and with a stony-faced expression on his delicate features. "I'm here today as a member of Kashinfu's extended cast, nothing more and nothing less. So, if you want a coffee from the convenience store, you will either have to go and get it yourself or ask someone else."

"Why you little…," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' hissed angrily and grabbed Kyousuke's jaw in a rough, almost violent manner thus forcing the young actor's deep, chocolate-colored eyes to meet his own. "You will do as I say, do you understand? If you don't, I will see to it that your life is going to be hell on earth for the remaining weeks of this production as well as after." "As if you wouldn't do that anyway," Kyousuke replied defiantly and unblinking, bravely facing up to the other and standing his ground. "I know what you want me to do, but no matter how badly and contemptuously you will treat me from now on, it won't happen."

"We will see Hamao, we will see," Fujiwara growled glaring menacingly at Daisuke's new assistant. "Until you will do what I asked you to the other day in regards to your new employer I'm going to be your worst nightmare and believe me when I say that you will eventually give in because I always get what I want in the end. It's just a question of time."

"Come on Fuji-chan, leave that kid alone already," Kojima Naoki piped in, his voice being barely more than a whisper and placed his hand cautiously on his friend's shoulder blade. "He is just a member of the ensemble, a little nobody and not worth getting worked up about or receiving any of your attention. He is nothing."

"True, but he is a nothing with good connections, now that he is working for Watanabe Daisuke, " Fujiwara sneered loosening his grip of Kyousuke's jaw, finally letting go of it, but only to give the ebony-haired youth a lusty push. "You better watch your back from now on you little, impertinent nobody," he hissed only loud enough for the young actor in question to hear before he rejoined the remaining members of the main cast, engaging in their lively conversation as if nothing had happened, leaving Kyousuke to rub his assaulted and therefore aching jaw.  
"This is going to be a long, stressful day," the twenty-one-year-old murmured inaudibly and let out a deep, frustrated sigh before turning his attention back to the script of 'Kashinfu' on his table.

The rehearsal session began about twenty minutes later as it had been scheduled and just as Kyousuke had apprehended the self-proclaimed star of the production didn't miss a single opportunity to humiliate him in one way or another in front of the other cast members and the director. Throughout the whole morning he got insulted, ridiculed and even physically abused on various occasions, being either pushed, shoved or elbowed or made to trip up by some of Fujiwara's followers, so that he found himself several times on the hard, wooden floor of the stage, every attack being carried out in such a shrewd and careful manner that it looked like a simple, self-inflicted klutz attack each time and when the director finally announced a one-hour lunch break, after what had seemed like a little eternity to the ebony-haired youth, he was not only physically and mentally exhausted, but in pain as well.

"You know what you will have to do Hamao to make this stop," Fujiwara whispered with a menacing grin plastered on his face as he walked past the young actor, giving him another lusty push when he got nothing but a defiant "in your dreams" in response and once everybody had exited the stage and had returned to the greenroom Kyousuke made his way to Okamoto's office where he slumped down onto the sofa in the seating corner with a dejected and frustrated sigh tearing from him.

"They are giving you a hard time again, aren't they," the owner of 'Theater Sun Mall' stated the obvious and offered his young part-time employee a sympathetic and compassionate smile. "Fujiwara-kun really is a trouble maker." "Yes, he is. At first he picked on me merely because he was looking down on me and because he enjoyed putting me down whenever he could, but now things are different," the so addressed actor sighed and hung his head. "Now Fujiwara is giving me a tough time because he wants to take advantage of my connection to Watanabe-san and…"

"Say no more, I get the picture. He is trying to pressure you into introducing him to Watanabe-san in hopes that he can somehow benefit from the acquaintance with such a famous and renowned actor, am I right?" Okamoto gently interrupted the young man and shook his head in dismay, "and knowing you, you refused to do it out of respect and consideration for Watanabe-san as well as out of a feeling of duty towards him now that you have become his assistant."  
"Yes, that's it and I have no intention of giving in to Fujiwara's demand," Kyousuke answered with determination. "I finally get along with Watanabe-san and I won't do anything I know he would definitely disapprove of."

"That's very commendable, but maybe you should talk to Watanabe-san about the issues you have been having with Fujiwara since the moment you accepted the assistant job," the owner of 'Theater Sun Mall' suggested with a serious undertone in his calm voice and pointed at the bruise he had spotted on the Kyousuke's underarm. "If Fujiwara isn't afraid of going as far as physically abusing you, just for the sake of getting you to introduce him to your new employer, then the matter concerns Watanabe-san just as much as it concerns you and he should be informed of what's going on here so that he can deal with the problem accordingly and I dare say that, if Watanabe-san knew what you had to endure this morning only because you have become his assistant, he would react immediately and give Fujiwara-kun as well as those who have followed his lead a good deal of his mind and show them their proper place. As his assistant you might be responsible for Watanabe-san's comfort and well-being, but as your employer he is responsible for your well-being and safety at the same time."

"I guess you are right Okamoto-san, thank you for your advice," the so addressed actor replied softly and sighed for the umpteenth time. "I just don't want to cause Watanabe-san any inconveniences or problems." "I understand that, but as your employer Watanabe-san has certain duties towards you, just as you have certain duties towards him and I guess he sees it that way as well, so you shouldn't worry too much when it comes to approaching him when you need to discuss any work-related concerns of yours," Okamoto explained calmly and offered Kyousuke an encouraging smile. "Tell him what's going on between Fujiwara and you before things can get any worse."

"You have a point there," the ebony-haired youth admitted meekly and let his voice trail off for a moment to take a glance at the clock on the wall. "My lunch break is almost over, I guess I should head back to the auditorium," he sighed and offered the owner of 'Theater Sun Mall' a mild, slightly melancholic smile. "The last thing I need today is to get scolded by the director for being late and to receive a lecture on the importance of punctuality from him." And with that the young man bowed lightly to his boss and quietly exited the room to rejoin the remaining cast members on stage, wishing himself to be anywhere but there for the day continued pretty much the same way in which it had begun, just as he had feared it would.

Throughout the entire afternoon rehearsal he found himself victim of more klutz attacks and little accidents staged by Fujiwara and his friends, Kojima in particular and by the time the rehearsal finally came to its end the ebony-haired youth was quite done for. Once he had reached the greenroom he slowly sank onto the chair at his dressing table, trying to suppress a groan of pain that was threatening to escape his lips and for a long moment he sat motionlessly with his eyes close in order to get himself together before he finally opened them again while taking a deep breath and began to pack up his belongings.

Trying to focus on nothing but the task at hand, he couldn't help but perceive that the other cast members were leaving one by one and a feeling of dread and uneasiness began to churn inside him when he realized that Fujiwara was staying behind. "Well, well, if that wasn't an interesting and eventful day of rehearsals," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' spoke up derisively as soon as the last cast member had left the room and strolled over to Kyousuke's dressing table. "I had no idea Hamao that you can be such a klutz."

"Don't give me that nonsense and don't try to play innocent," the so addressed actor hissed and turned his head to face Fujiwara. "We both know that every single one of these 'klutz attacks' was staged by either you or one of your friends. Besides, didn't you make it clear already at the beginning of our lunch break that all those accidents have been entirely of your doing? So why don't you just quit your fake pretense of sympathy and say what you have to say?"

"I think you know very well what I'm going to say and what I want, but I will gladly spell it out for you one last time," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' growled and yanked Kyousuke roughly off the chair before pushing the young man hard against the wall next to the dressing table. "Listen you little wanna-be actor, I want you to introduce me to your new employer Watanabe Daisuke. Today was only the beginning and if you don't comply with my wishes I will…," he sneered, glaring daggers at the ebony-haired youth, only to fall silence in mid-sentence when he suddenly felt a hand landing heavily on his shoulder, followed by a deep, commanding voice. "I would appreciate it if you stopped manhandling my assistant."

"Wa-Watanabe-san, I….I'm…I…," Fujiwara stuttered utterly perplexed and instantly let go of Kyousuke, unable to hide his embarrassment, "…I…I didn't mean to…I mean…I…I only wanted…" "I know what you wanted," Daisuke spoke up sternly, "but abusing and manhandling my assistant won't get you anywhere. Hamao-kun has strict orders regarding the introduction of other people in this industry to me and he merely acted by the book and did what was expected of him. Except for producers, directors and actors or actresses I'm supposed to be working with, anyone who wishes to be formally introduced to me and wishes to see me in order to talk about matters that aren't work-related has to speak to my management first. That is the policy of my agency for all the talents and idols it represents."

"I…I'm truly sorry Watanabe-san, I was just so anxious to meet you since I'm a great admirer of yours," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' explained meekly and offered the famous actor an apologetic smile. "My name is Fujiwara Ryouta and I'm playing the lead role in one of this theater's upcoming productions, "it's a pleasure to meet you."  
"Mao, are you okay," the so addressed celebrity interrupted the other's monologue focusing his attention to his ebony-haired assistant and returned it only to Fujiwara when Kyousuke was nodding his head wordlessly in affirmation. "I know who you are," Daisuke announced nonchalantly, his gaze still fixed on his assistant who was looking rather miserable. "I have spoken to the owner of this theater and I watched parts of the rehearsal this afternoon from the VIP box, so that I wouldn't cause any disturbance or distraction."

"Really? And what do you think of the stage play and my performance," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' beamed and gave the renowned actor an expectant look. "Please tell me Watanabe-san, for I really value your opinion as a professional actor and as a well-respected senpai of mine."  
"I'm known for being frank and straightforward when it comes to these matters, so I will be plain-spoken. The stage play itself seems to be a good one, the script is interesting and the kind of staging the director has in mind is very promising as well, but regarding your performance today I can't say that I was overly impressed," Daisuke explained in a businesslike manner and Fujiwara's proud, self-confident smile fell almost instantaneously.  
"W-What…what do you mean," the young actor asked baffled by what he had just heard, his voice laced with insecurity. "Was I not good?"

"I didn't say that," Daisuke replied calmly. "You are talented and you performed well considering your relatively low level of experience, but you still have a very long way to go and much to learn if you want to make it into to the top and the way I see it your attitude might become your worst enemy on that journey." "My attitude…I don't see what's wrong with my attitude," Fujiwara exclaimed in a defensive, yet slightly cocky manner. "I always listen to the instructions of the producers and directors and I…"

"Maybe you do," Kyousuke's new employer sternly interrupted the young man once more, "you are ambitious, but you are also arrogant, way too full of yourself and you look down on those you think are beneath you, treating them with scorn and contempt. On top of that you are not afraid to abuse others if you feel that they can somehow help you to get ahead and that's not exactly a very good pedigree if you really want to make it into the 'A-league' of this industry one day. Having connections might be helpful sometimes to nudge your career into the right direction, but these connections are absolutely worthless if you can't prove to the critics, the media, the top producers and the audience that you have got what it takes to be an 'A-level' actor in terms of talent, skill, ability and experience, so let me give you a good piece of advice. Ambition in combination with the willingness to be hard-working and readiness to learn, while remaining humble and respectful, will get you much further in the entertainment world than constantly looking for shortcuts while maintaining a cocky attitude."

"Watanabe-san, I…," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' stammered, his cheeks glowing with embarrassment and shame, "I apologize for mistreating Hamao-kun the way I did. I promise I…" "You should apologize to him for your behavior, not to me and if I should hear any further reports of misconduct on your side towards my assistant, rest assured that your management will be informed of your dealings," Daisuke spoke up in the most authoritative manner before turning his attention once more to his assistant. "Mao, are you ready to go? Have you finished packing up? I have an appointment with my manager in about one hour and I would like you to be present at the meeting. A car and driver should be waiting for us outside."

"Y-Yes, I'm ready," Kyousuke replied somewhat shyly and grabbed his bag from the dressing table, trying to avoid eye-contact with Fujiwara who was looking more than just a little crestfallen. "Let's go then," the older actor said in an unusually soft manner and led the twenty-one-year-old to the door where he turned around and addressed Fujiwara once more. "You asked me to tell you my honest opinion which I have done," he stated with sincerity, "if my direct and rather blunt words have hurt and offended you I am sorry, but I sincerely advise you to take them to heart and, for your own good, to reflect upon them and now please excuse my assistant and me."

With that Daisuke exited the room with Kyousuke in tow, leaving a seething and fuming Fujiwara behind and only a few minutes later the two men were sitting in the font of a car headed for Daisuke's talent agency. "T-Thank you for helping me out back there," Kyousuke finally spoke up after a few, long moments of silence. "Did Okamoto-san call you?"

"No, he didn't. I decided to stop by to ask you if you would accompany me to the meeting with my manager since it came up quite suddenly and you weren't scheduled to work for me today. Because I had some time to spare I took the opportunity of watching your rehearsal and after what I have witnessed on stage and in the greenroom I think it was a good decision," Daisuke replied solemnly, "when were you planning to tell me about this creep and his friends harassing you just for the prospect of being introduced to me.?"

"I have spoken to Okamoto-san during the lunch break today about this matter and he advised me to tell you as soon as possible, so I had planned to speak to you tomorrow since I will be working with you all day," the so addressed youth explained truthfully and lowered his gaze. "I just don't want to be a bother to you." "That explains why you thought Okamoto-san has given me a call when I showed up so unexpectedly at the theater," Daisuke mused quietly. "How long has this been going on?"

"Fujiwara has been treating me like his personal servant ever since the day the production started since I'm a part-time employee at the theater, but this sort of physical abuse you have witnessed only started today," Kyousuke answered meekly. "It's his revenge for my having refused him a few days ago when he entreated me to introduce him to you."

"I see, I think I should thank you for the responsible and considerate way in which you acted in this matter," the older man said quietly, "but if you run into similar troubles again in the future, please tell me immediately. You might be my assistant, but I'm your employer and as such I do have certain obligations towards you as well." "I promise I will and thank you," the twenty-one-year old answered truthfully, amazed that the handsome celebrity had just uttered almost the same words as Okamoto had done only a few hours earlier and with that silence settled between the two men, each one of them dwelling on their own thoughts for the rest of the ride.

Once they had reached their destination Daisuke led his assistant into the building and they reached Kinoshita's office with about twenty minutes to spare. "Good evening Watanabe-san, Kinoshita-san isn't here yet, but why don't you and your assistant step into the office and make yourselves comfortable until he arrives," they were greeted politely by the secretary and after having returned the greeting in an equally polite manner the couple did as they were told and made themselves at home in the sitting area of Kinoshita's private office, Kyousuke hissing in pain as he sat down.

"You have hurt your knees, haven't you," Daisuke stated the obvious and gave the ebony-haired youth a questioning look. "You might have scraped them or you might have friction burns and those injuries should be treated." "I'm alright, don't worry. It's not that bad really," Kyousuke replied softly, trying to ignore the sharp pain that was shooting through him.

"You are not alright. I have heard you hiss a couple of times in the car as well and if your knees are scraped or you have friction burns, then the constant brushing of your jeans against the wounds, causing even more friction doesn't do anything to improve your condition," the older actor stated in a tone that made it perfectly clear that he wouldn't book any opposition as he walked across the room to a cabinet that was standing next to Kinoshita's desk and took a small first aid kit from one of its drawers. "These wounds need to be taken care of, so stop making a fuss and take off your pants."

"E-Excuse me," Kyousuke exclaimed bashfully, having suddenly become very self-conscious and his cheeks began to turn crimson. "You want me to do what?" "You heard me, I want you to get out of those jeans," Daisuke explained as calmly and as nonchalantly as if he was talking about the weather. "They are too tight to be rolled up, so you have to take them off in order for me to be able to treat your wounds."

"O-Okay," the so addressed youth stammered and hesitantly did as he was told, knowing that any argument with the older man would be fruitless and only a short moment later the renowned actor was kneeling in front of him, examining the wounds before he finally set to work and carefully applied some ointment to the scratches and burns once he had cleaned and disinfected them properly, knitting his eyebrows in anger when he noticed that purplish, ugly-looking bruises had begun to form in various places on the ebony-haired actor's thighs, shins and calves.

"I can't believe that Fujiwara and his friends did that to you, just because you refused to introduce them to me. It's unforgivable," he growled as he gingerly covered the now disinfected wounds with large-sized band aids, Kyousuke silently watching all the while with glowing cheeks. "I…I will be okay. It's only a few minor bruises, nothing serious," the twenty-one-year-old stated softly at last, "and thank you for having taken such good care of my wounds." "You're welcome," Daisuke replied quietly and looked up to meet his assistant's shy gaze, "put your jeans back on and then I will have a look at that friction burn on your underarm."

"Alright," the young actor agreed somewhat embarrassed and had just closed the button of his jeans as well as the belt when the other pushed him with gentle determination back onto the chair and began treating the scratches and burns on his underarm with the same tender meticulousness in which he had treated the wounds on his knees. "Luckily none of your wounds were bleeding, so you should be alright in a few days," Daisuke remarked casually as he covered the injury he had just taken care of with another large-sized band aid and just as he had finished the task Kinoshita entered the room.

"Watanabe-san, what happened," he asked curiously and pointed back and forth between Kyousuke's patched up underarm and the first aid kit in Daisuke's hands. "Did you get caught in a fight or something?"  
"No, nothing of that sort," the handsome celebrity lied smoothly, noticing the pleading glances his assistant was shooting him. "Mao-kun here just had a little klutz attack on our way from the theater to the agency, that's all."

"Oh, I see, but don't you worry young man, klutz attacks happen to everyone once in a while," Kinoshita exclaimed and gave the ebony-haired youth a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before he walked over to his desk and sat down. "Well, and now to the matter at hand," he announced while taking a file from one of the desk's drawers as well as a notepad. "Since I assume that Hamao-kun must be quite tired after a full day of rehearsals and since he wasn't supposed to be working for us today, I will try to make this meeting as short as possible. NHK, the biggest broadcasting company in the country is planning to make two-hour documentary about Hokkaido, its local culture, customs and so on and they would like you Watanabe-san to become the presenter of that documentary."

"That sounds quite interesting," Daisuke spoke up smiling mildly, "I went to university in Hokkaido and I have very fond memories of the time I sent in that part of Japan."

"That's why I thought you would be interested in accepting the job offer," the renowned actor's manager mused thoughtfully, "the only problem is the schedule. The shooting would to commence the day after your last rehearsal for 'Dracula'. It's scheduled to take two-and-a-half days, meaning that you would not only have to depart to Hokkaido immediately after your final rehearsal but that you would return to Tokyo late in the evening on the final day of the shooting. You would only get one day's rest before you have to join the 'dress and on-stage rehearsals' for the musical at the theater. I'm a bit concerned that things might get a bit too stressful for you if you accept this job offer, but if you are okay with the arrangements…"

"I can handle this bit of extra work and if Mao can make room in his schedule to accompany me, I can assure you that there won't be any problem at all," Daisuke replied self-confidently and gave the young man in question a questioning look. "Do you think you could arrange a three-day break from your rehearsals for 'Kashinfu' in order to make this trip to Hokkaido together with me?"  
"I would love to," Kyousuke stated smiling mildly. "I think getting a few days off won't be a problem since my role is so small and I guess I could also find someone to look after Roku."

"Well, that's settled then," Kinoshita piped in, rubbing his hands in contentment. "I will call the TV station immediately to give them the news that you have accepted the job offer and now I think we should ask one of our drivers to take Hamao-kun home unless there is something else you would like to discuss."  
"I can't think of anything," Daisuke replied after a brief moment of silent contemplation and turned to face his assistant. "Mao, is there anything you would like to speak about?" "Nothing except for tomorrow's schedule," the ebony-haired youth answered almost instantaneously. "I understand that I'm going to be at your disposition all day, but when and where would you like to meet?"

"Hmm, let me see," the so addressed celebrity said thoughtfully, carefully considering the time of the meeting he had agreed to have earlier that morning. "The rehearsal is supposed to start at ten o'clock and it is going to be a rather long day, so why don't you meet me at the theater around ten forty-five?"  
"Sounds good," Kyousuke replied nodding his head a couple of times in agreement and rose to his feet, "and now with your permission Watanabe-san, Kinoshita-san, is it alright if I went home? It has been an exhausting day and I have to admit that I'm quite tired."

"Of course you can," the two men in question exclaimed in unison and offered the young actor a couple of mild, understanding smiles. "Please go downstairs Hamao-kun and wait for a few minutes in the lobby. I will call a driver and ask him to pick you up," Kinoshita continued and reached for the phone.  
"Thank you most kindly," the ebony-haired youth replied politely and with that he bit farewell to his employer and his employer's manager before quietly taking his leave.

**oOo**

Yamada Akihiko was restlessly pacing up and down the length of his living room, his mobile phone pressed against his right ear, muttering under his breath until he finally heard the familiar click followed by the customary "moshi, moshi". "Where have you been? I have tried to call you three times already over the past thirty minutes and every time I let the phone ring for ages. What took you so darn long?"

"I'm sorry Yamada-san, but I wasn't alone. Therefore I couldn't take your call," the voice at the other end of the line explained quietly. "What can I do for you?"  
"I'm just calling to let you know that operation 'Dracula' will enter its final stage tomorrow morning and if I play my cards right, I will have replaced Watanabe-san as 'Van Helsing' by noon," the so addressed actor stated confidently while a menacing grin began to form on his lips. "The board is set for this final game of chess between the great Watanabe and me and he is a s good as check-mated, but in order to ensure my victory I need your help again."

"I see, what do you want me to do," the voice at the other end of the line asked quietly after a short moment of contemplative silence.  
"Well, nothing much," Ymamda explained calmly and began to reveal the details of his plan to his accomplice, "…and that's all you have to do. Can you handle that?" "Sure, it won't be too difficult," the voice of the other echoed in the ears of Daisuke's rival. "What time do you want to meet up?"  
"Let's make it eight-thirty at the station near the theater," the auburn-haired actor suggested, "It's a public place and that means less curious eyes. There I will give you everything you need as well as the final details regarding this operation and then all we have to do is to wait for our trap to snap shut."

"Understood, I will be there," Yamada's accomplice stated firmly and only a few moments later Daisuke's rival ended the call, grinning evilly from ear to ear in the most self-satisfactory manner.

**oOo**

"Roku, I'm home," Kyousuke exclaimed and had barely closed the front door of his tiny apartment when his beloved pet cat had appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and began rubbing itself against its master's legs, purring loudly. "Yes, yes…I missed you too," the ebony-haired youth chuckled and crouched down to pet his furry friend in the most loving manner, trying to ignore the pain that was shooting through him before he finally scooped the feline up into his arms and carried it into the living and dining area.

"What do you say to a nice dinner for the two of us, some canned tuna for you and some curry rice for me," he suggested nuzzling the fur between Roku's ears which earned him an approving 'meow' and only a short while later the smell of Japanese-style curry was wafting through the small flat. "Itadakimasu," the twenty-one-year-old exclaimed once he had filled his plate with curry rice and Roku's food bowl with some tuna and soon both Kyousuke and his beloved pet cat were digging in, enjoying their meal.

"I think I should take a bath, maybe the hot water will do these aching muscles of mine some good," the ebony-haired youth murmured once he had emptied his plate and slowly rose to his feet. "I wonder if the band aids Watanabe-san put on earlier are waterproof," he mused as he made his way over to his small bathroom and he was just about to turn on the water when the doorbell rang. Startled by the sound Kyousuke blinked a couple of times and checked his watch which was showing almost nine o'clock before he headed for the front door, asking himself who could be calling upon unannounced and at a rather late hour on top of that, but the frown he was wearing on his delicate features immediately turned into a bright smile as soon as he had opened the door.

"Kazuki-kun, o hisashiburi! What are you doing here," he greeted his best friend and stepped aside to let the young man enter, "please come in."  
"Thank you Kyou-chan," the so addressed youth replied and stepped into the apartment. "I'm sorry for showing up on your doorstep so all of a sudden, but I was in the area, so I thought I would stop by and see if you are at home."  
"I'm glad that you did, it has been quite a while since we last saw each other," Kyousuke stated truthfully as he led his guest into the living and dining area where Kazuki made himself comfortable on the sofa while the ebony-haired youth cleared the table. "Please excuse the mess, Roku and I have just finished dinner. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Just a glass of green tea if you have," Kazuki answered smiling mildly. "I also bought something at the convenience store on my way here, just in case. I got a few cans of beer and some snacks."  
"That sounds good," Daisuke's assistant shouted over from the refrigerator and returned to the sofa only a moment later armed with a bottle of green tea and two glasses. "I think I might be in need for a drink tonight."  
"Did you have a rough day at work," Kazuki asked sympathetically, his voice laced with concern. "What happened?"

"It's nothing really," Kyousuke replied appeasing, "the actor who got casted for the lead role in the stage play I'm currently involved in and some of his friends are giving me a bit of a hard time, that's all. Because I work part-time at the theater where we rehearse and where the performances will be held they treat me more like a member of staff than like a member of the extended cast and they look down on me because my role is of next to no importance and because I'm still trying to make my breakthrough while they have already achieved theirs, but I don't really want to talk about that right now. Why don't you tell me what's new with you instead?"

"I wish I could brag about some great achievement I managed to make, but to be honest there isn't much to tell," the so addressed youth stated smiling sheepishly and ruffled his auburn-colored hair. "My studies are going well and my part-time job at the izakaya brings me some nice extra money. Speaking of jobs, didn't you tell me in your last email that you accepted the position of personal assistant to Watanabe Daisuke, the renowned actor and model? I can't tell you how happy I was for you when I read the news and I have to admit that I'm a bit jealous too. How is Watanabe-san in real life? Is he really as cool, charming and friendly as everyone says?"

"Well, he is certainly a very interesting guy and it seems that it never gets boring when one is around him," Kyousuke mused thoughtfully before letting his voice trail off with a heavy sigh.  
"What is it Kyou-chan," Kazuki asked carefully, having noticed the sudden change in his best friend's mood. Is something the matter? If you want to talk about it, I'm ready to listen."

"Kazuki, can I put a case to you and get your opinion on it," the so addressed youth finally spoke up after a long moment of slightly tense and heavy silence, "maybe it would be helpful for me." "Of course you can," Kyousuke's friend replied and offered the other an encouraging smile. "I will do my best to give you some advice, so shoot."

"Well, suppose that you are acquainted with someone who has gotten themselves into some trouble," Kyousuke began quietly while wringing his hands, "never mind how or with whom or what sort of trouble…let's just say it's something that can't be ignored and that won't go away unless something is done. Now imagine that you know at least to a certain extent about that person's troubles and you would like to help somehow, but this someone told you not to concern yourself with those matters because they don't want you to get involved in their mess and get caught up in it. This someone assures you that they can handle it, however, you feel that they might have bitten off more than they can chew, which might result in serious consequences for them. What would you do in such a situation? Would you stay out of it as you were told or would you defy that person and act because you want to try helping them to solve their problem?"

"I guess I would dare that person's disapproval and act if that was what my heart and conscience were telling me to do," Kazuki answered with a thoughtful expression on his face and gave his best friend a questioning look. "Kyou-chan, are you in some kind of trouble?"  
"No, don't worry. This has nothing to do with me," Kyousuke explained quickly and with sincerity in his voice. "The case I just put before you concerns an acquaintance of mine at the theater. He often comes to me with his problems, but this time I really don't know what I should tell him, so I wanted to hear the thoughts of an outsider in hopes that it might help."

"I see, you really had me worried there for a moment," the auburn-haired student stated with a smile of relief tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Maybe if you sleep on it, you might be able to come up with some encouraging and reassuring words for your friend and now I need to be satisfied about your new employer. What is Watanabe-san like? Please Kyou-chan, tell me!"

"Well, as I said before Watanabe-san is a very interesting guy," Daisuke's assistant replied obligingly, amused by his friend's curiosity. "To be honest, I found it a bit difficult to warm up to Watanabe-san when we first met because he is not only quite stoic and has high expectations of everyone he works with or who works for him, but he also has this aura around him. It's hard to explain…it's that kind of charisma that makes everyone turn their heads when he enters the room and stare in awe, but that also gives you the feeling that he is untouchable, out of your reach he seems to be way too far above you. However, by the end of my job trial that impression of Watanabe-san had changed."

"Interesting…so tell me, how do you like him now," Kazuki asked curiously and tilted his head, "does he treat you in a decent manner?"

"I discovered that Watanabe-san is, contrary to my first impression, a very kind guy," Kyousuke mused with a tender undertone in his voice while a warm smile began to lighten up his face. "He is kind of a loner and doesn't easily open up to others, but he is friendly and considerate to his colleagues, the staff, the assistants and so on and he treats everyone with respect and politeness. He knows that he is one of the most famous actors in the entertainment world, but he doesn't brag about it or gives himself airs. On the contrary, he is humble, hard-working, very self-critical and he always gives a hundred percent at everything he does. Watanabe-san is super talented, intelligent, well-educated and therefore very sophisticated, but has remained down to earth and is always willing to assist and help, even someone like me who is so far beneath him. I injured my knees during rehearsals today and when Watanabe-san noticed it, he insisted on taking care of my wounds and treated them with his own hands. However, there are some things about him that I find rather peculiar. He doesn't seem to eat much. I have been with him from morning to evening on several occasions and I have never seen him eat anything. Also he avoids the sun like the plague and working out of doors during the day fatigues him quite easily. He prefers the night."

"Well, everyone has their own peculiarities I guess," Kazuki chuckled lightly, "but good lord Kyou-chan, the way you spoke about Watanabe-san just now!"  
"What was wrong with it," the young man in question asked somewhat nervously and ran a hand through his silky hair. "Did I say anything strange?"  
"No you didn't," Kazuki explained grinning, raising his hands up in defense, "it's just the way you rhapsodized about that guy after so short an acquaintance and the expression you were having on your face while telling me all those things about him…if I didn't know better, I would say that you clearly have tender feelings for your employer."

"Me having a crush on Watanabe-san, now don't be ridiculous," the so addressed actor croaked in a rather high-pitched voice, his cheeks gradually turning crimson. "My feelings are absolutely impartial towards Watanabe-san. I admire him for his many talents and for all the achievements in his career until now, but that's it. Watanabe-san is my employer and I'm his assistant, end of story."

"If you say so Kyou-chan, if you say so," Kazuki stated in an emphatically teasing voice, clearly enjoying his friend's embarrassment. "But it wouldn't be the first time that something that began as a professional relationship gradually develops into something more and it doesn't matter both of you are men. Love is unpredictable after all and usually blind when it comes to things like age, gender, social status and so on."

"Oh come on Kazuki, stop it already," Kyousuke wailed and pouted in the most adorable manner. "There is nothing between Watanabe-san and me, nor will there ever be, but since we are on the subject of my new employer, can I ask you a favor? Watanabe-san wishes me to accompany him on a three-day business trip to Hokkaido in the near future. The exact dates aren't firmly settled yet, but could you look after Roku for me during that time? He is familiar with you and you could stay here during my absence, sleeping on the guest futon in my bedroom."

"Sure no problem," the other stated smiling mildly, "I quite like that furry friend of yours and that way you won't have to leave him at one of those over-prized pet hotels."  
"Thank you and I'm sorry for bothering you with cat-sitting for me," Kyousuke sighed in relief, "Roku will be in much better comfort here than in some pet hotel and I will make it up to you, I promise."  
"Don't mention it," Kazuki replied with a light chuckle. "Just bring me a nice souvenir from Hokkaido and we will call it quits."  
"It's a deal," the so addressed youth chuckled, offering his best friend a grateful smile and with that the two young men engaged in a lively conversation about this and that.

**oOo**

Daisuke quietly entered the auditorium of the 'Playhouse' theater and slowly made his way towards the stage with a stony-faced expression on his handsome features. "Watanabe-san, how good of you to come and as punctual as ever on top of that," the voice of Yamada Akihiko began to echo through the room as soon as Daisuke had reached the stairs that were leading onto the stage and only a few seconds later the owner of the voice appeared from behind one of the buildings that were part of the set for 'Dracula' and that had been put onto the stage in preparation for the upcoming rehearsal session.

"It's a magnificent set, isn't it," he continued as he gestured for his biggest rival in the industry to step onto the stage. "Some of these buildings are so difficult to move due to their weight that they will remain on stage all the time, like 'castle Dracula' here behind me with those remarkably tall windows."  
"I don't think that you have asked me to come here in order to discuss the splendor and beauty of the set," Daisuke stated coolly, "so why don't you just skip this ridiculous banter and come to the point instead? Why am I here and what do you want from me?"

"Oh my, aren't we grumpy this morning," Yamada mock-pouted, feigning hurt, "and as for your question, I think you know very well what I want. I want you to give up your role as 'Van Helsing' and leave this part to me. How are you going to do that? Easy, I want you to admit to the director and all the other members of the cast and the staff that you have bullied me on various occasions since the beginning of this production. You will tell them that, after some reflection on your deeds, you are feeling bad for what you have done and that in consequence of your misconduct towards me you have decided to resign from the part you were supposed to play in this production. That would make a very plausible explanation, don't you think?"

"So, in other words you want me not only to leave my part in this musical to you, but you expect me to blacken my name and to taint my good reputation on top of that," the so addressed actor affirmed in a dangerously low voice. "That is ridiculous. I will never admit to something I haven't done and I won't give up my role as 'Van Helsing' either. I earned this role fair and square by auditioning for it and contrary to your accusations neither my management nor any of my other acquaintances in this industry had any part in my getting chosen for this role, so I have nothing to blame myself for and therefore I won't back down and leave this part to you or anyone else."

"Somehow I knew that you would say something along those lines and that that you might need…how should I put it…some gentle persuasion," Yamada snickered and shot his rival a menacing glare, "and I think I have arranged everything it takes to get what I want from you. After all, one more incident involving you and me is all that's needed to get you fired from this production and I haven't been idle since the press conference."

"I'm neither afraid of you nor of your little plots and schemes," Daisuke growled with his voice firm and calm, trying to appear unperturbed by the other's threats and to keep a straight face. "Whatever you have come up with this time around, it will ultimately fail."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the other actor exclaimed in the most nonchalant manner and strolled leisurely over to the castle in the center of the stage, grinning devilishly. "You see, since this is a stage set for a proper dress-rehearsal I took the liberty of bringing some of my own props," he explained casually and produced a pair of handcuffs from the pocket of his jeans upon which he fastened one of the cuffs around the crossbar of the lowest castle window, the other one around his own wrist and finally produced a knife from the inside pocket of his jacket. "Now Watanabe-san, what do you think would happen if I were found handcuffed to this window cross with injuries inflicted by a knife on top of that?"

"This is ridiculous! Do you really think you would get away with such a preposterous scheme like this one," Daisuke hissed, trying desperately to keep his cool and calm, even though he had begun to feel quite different inside. "All I have to do is to leave and that is exactly what I'm going to do for I have had enough of this nonsense." And with that the renowned actor turned his back on Yamada, ready to leave the stage, but was almost instantaneously made to stop dead in his tracks by the other's voice.

"Of course you can just leave this auditorium, but it won't change one darn thing," the ambitious celebrity sneered, "for one thing nobody saw you entering this place and by now there will be people in the greenroom as well as in the lobby. It would surely raise some questions if you were seen entering the backstage area via the stage door or the lobby via one of the auditorium's main doors. In addition I have seen to it that the keys to these handcuffs as well as the sheath of this knife will be found in your locker together with some of your other belongings which you have kept there since the first day of rehearsals. You see Watanabe-san, even if you left right now, you would still become the main and I dare say only suspect as soon as I get found either by the staff, the director or a member of the cast since the evidence against you is smothering. After the previous two incidences involving the two of us nobody will believe in your innocence anymore, especially since several people, including the director and the producer, have already begun to doubt you. All that's left for me to do in order to make this trap snap shut is to cry out for help."

"Why you sneaky, little bastard," Daisuke hissed and clenched his fists, realizing that his rival's words were true and that he had indeed got caught in the other's clever trap. "You won't be getting away with this."  
"Oh, I think I will and you know why…because I have been stalling. Check your watch and you will see that it is almost ten o'clock. At any moment now the director, the entire main cast and several members of the extended cast will show up in this room, so even if you wanted to get away, you won't have enough time to disappear now which is even better because that way there won't be any doubt that you are the culprit," Yamada snickered in the most self-satisfactory manner and as if on cue the sound of the heavy stage door being opened could be heard followed by a muffled babble of voices. "Game over Watanabe-san," the young man growled grinning triumphantly and before Daisuke was given any chance to interfere Yamada quickly cut himself just above his collar bone and started screaming bloody murder the very moment the knife he had let go of hit the floor with a clattering sound.  
"No, please don't do this to me Watanabe-san…have mercy on me! I swear that I will do everything you want, but please let me go," he screeched frantically from the top of his lungs and almost instantaneously the cast of 'Dracula' including the director burst onto the stage leaving Daisuke with no option but to stay where he was, just as his rival had predicted.

"What is going on here," director Yoshikawa roared enraged while almost all members of the main and the extended cast looked at the scene that was unfolding before their eyes with shocked expressions on their faces. "Watanabe-san, Yamada-san, what is the meaning of this? I demand an explanation!"  
"S-sensei, thank God you are here," Yamada sniffed with crocodile tears brimming in his eyes just when Daisuke was about to speak up. "W-Watanabe-san asked me to m-meet him here in order to t-talk things over and believing that his intentions w-were good I obliged, but when I g-got here he attacked me and ch-chained me to this window cross, th-threatening that he would d-do whatever it might t-take to make me resign from this p-production. H-he even hurt me with a knife!"

"Watanabe-san, I can hardly believe my eyes and ears! Is all of what I have just heard true," the director exclaimed angrily and turned to face the renowned actor in question. "What do you have to say in your defense?"  
"Nothing,"Daisuke replied coolly while gritting his teeth, "since I can see in your eyes that you have already decided that I must be guilty why should I bother? You wouldn't believe me, no matter what I would say."

"And that is all you have to say in such a serious situation? That is your final resolve," Yoshikawa growled and gave Kyousuke's employer a stern and resentful look while a barely noticeable, victorious smirk began to tug at the corners of Yamada's mouth. "I warned you after the incident at the press conference and I shall be as good as my word, I will immediately prepare the documents for your instant dismissal and I can assure you that there will be legal charges prepared against you by this production company as well as legal charges against you on Yamada-san's behalf should he wish it. And now get the keys for these handcuffs, you have two minutes!"  
And with that the director turned to leave, but froze momentarily his tracks when a familiar voice rang out from somewhere behind the curtains on the other side of the stage. "Please wait! Watanabe-san hasn't done anything wrong!"

"Mao," Daisuke murmured almost inaudibly while the director as well as the rest of the cast, including Yamada, were staring in surprise and confusion at the young man who had just entered the stage. "I know what this must look like from your point of you, but things really aren't the way you believe them to be for Yamada-san is the true culprit not Watanabe-san."

"That's ridiculous," Yamada exclaimed angrily. "Admit it, you are just trying to frame me in order to protect your employer!"  
"He is right, Hamao-san. Unless you can somehow prove that your accusation is just, it looks indeed as if you were only trying to protect Watanabe-san and to save his skin by…," the director spoke up in a cautionary manner, only to be interrupted in mid-sentence by the ebony-haired youth in question.

"I can prove that what I have just said is indeed the truth. Yamada-san staged this incident as well as the two previous ones in order to force Watanabe-san into giving up his role as 'Van Helsing' because he wants that part for himself. He is ready to do anything to achieve his goal and I can prove that he is the true culprit because, from between the curtains, I have recorded a video of everything that has happened here on this stage before Yamada-san started crying for help," Kyousuke explained with a firm voice and in the most factual manner while shooting Daisuke's rival who had grown almost as white as a sheet a look of pointed disgust before he finally took his mobile phone from the back pocket of his jeans and handed the device over to the director. "Here, see for yourself. I'm sure that, once you have seen the video, you will agree that it is Yamada-san who deserves to be punished and dismissed and not Watanabe-san."

"Thank you Hamao-kun," Yoshikawa replied solemnly before pushing the 'play' button for the clip the young actor had recorded and as he began to watch the footage Kyousuke walked over to his employer who had seemingly turned into a pillar of salt and gently touched the handsome celebrity's arm. "It's okay, everything will be alright, you will see."

"I think I have heard and seen enough," the director whose face had grown darker with almost every passing second exclaimed angrily before the ebony-haired youth could say anything else and handed the phone back to him with an appreciative nod of the head. "Hamao-kun, if you don't mind I would like you to send me a copy of this video to my email address. I will forward it to Yamada-san's agency together with the note of instant dismissal."

And with that the middle-aged man turned to the real culprit. "You are in deep trouble young man. Consider yourself fired from this production and prepare yourself to face legal charges in consequence of your actions as soon as the final curtain of this musical has fallen. Whether or not Watanabe-san wishes to file an additional claim of defamation against you is up to him," he spoke up sharply and gave Daisuke's rival a stern, disapproving look before he addressed the handsome actor in question himself. "Watanabe-san, I'm deeply sorry for what happened and I sincerely apologize for my behavior towards you in this matter," he said with sincerity evident in his voice as well as on his face and bowed to the renowned celebrity in the most respectful manner. "Please forgive me and even though I couldn't hold it against you if you decided to leave this production after everything that has happened, I hope that you can bring yourself to continue working with us until the end. Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu."

"You are not to blame for what happened here and the way I see it, we both have, in our own different ways, been victims of Yamada-san's schemes and therefore I will fulfill my contract with this production company and do my best until the very last performance. And now I shall do as you asked and fetch the keys to those handcuffs from my locker since they have been deposited there by an accomplice of the culprit," Daisuke replied politely and left for the greenroom, receiving numerous pats on his back and shoulders from his fellow cast members as he exited the stage and returned only a couple of minutes later with the keys as well as with the sheath of the knife in his hands upon which director Yoshikawa finally opened Yamada's handcuffs and pulled the young man rather roughly to his feet.

"Yamada-san, I want you to leave this building instantly. The staff will escort you to the exit and it would be in your own interest to do as you are told and not to speak about this incident to anyone else but your management. It would be really bad publicity for you if the media got wind of the stunt you have been trying to pull here," the middle-aged man announced matter-of-factly before he turned his attention to the assembled cast of 'Dracula'. "I have a few important things to take care of and after what just happened here I think we all need some time to calm down before starting off today's rehearsals. It's almost twenty minutes past ten now, so I suggest that we all re-assemble here at eleven o'clock. We have a lot on the agenda for today and some members of the main cast will leave around five o'clock this afternoon because of a photo shooting for the official 'Dracula' program, so please be back on time and ready to go. Thank you."

And with that Yoshikawa took his leave upon which the stage began to empty gradually until Daisuke and Kyousuke were the only ones left.  
"Watanabe-san, are you alright," the twenty-one-year-old asked gently once he was alone with his employer. "This was a really close call. That guy's scheme to force you out of this production and to damage your image and reputation almost succeeded."  
"I…I guess so," the so addressed actor replied softly after a brief moment of slightly uncomfortable silence. "How did you know about this meeting between him and me?"

"After the press conference I overheard the last part of the phone conversation you were having outside the convention center while you were waiting for me," Kyousuke explained truthfully. "It was a mere coincidence and I didn't catch much of that conversation, but considering what was going on between you and Yamada what I could hear was enough for me to be able to count two and two together and so I…"  
"And so you decided to take action, even though I had told you to stay out of this matter and to leave it to me," Daisuke piped in solemnly upon which the young man in question wordlessly nodded his head in affirmation and let out a faint sigh. "What you did was quite reckless and you took a great risk. What if Yamada or his accomplice, whoever that may be, had noticed your presence? And what's more, I'm certain that due to what you have done here today, you have now become an enemy in that guy's eyes which means that he will sooner or later try to get even somehow."

"Watanabe-san, I…I'm sorry if I have overstepped my boundaries or have exceeded my competences. It won't happen again. I…I merely wanted to help," the ebony-haired youth replied meekly, his downcast voice barely more than a whisper and hung his head in dejection before finally turning to leave, but had only taken a couple of steps when his handsome employer spoke up again.  
"Mao," Daisuke exclaimed grabbing the young man's wrist and only a few seconds later the twenty-one-year-old found himself being pulled into a heartfelt embrace.  
"Wa-Watanabe-san," Kyousuke stammered in surprise and confusion as he felt the other's arms tightening around his middle and for a brief moment he couldn't help but hold his breath while his heart beat sped up a pace, "w-what…"

"Thank you Mao," the so addressed celebrity whispered, his rich, warm baritone voice sending shivers down Kyousuke's spine. "You saved me. If it hadn't been for you, Yamada would have won. Thank you."  
"Y-You are welcome," Kyousuke replied softly and slowly wrapped his arms around his employer's torso, gently returning the embrace with glowing cheeks and for a few, short moments which seemed like a little, blissful eternity the two actors remained in one another's arms, holding each other tight.

"A-Ano, would you permit me to treat you to dinner after the photo shooting tonight," Daisuke finally spoke up and released Kyousuke from his hold, offering him a slightly shy, yet warm smile, "you deserve it."  
"Then how could I refuse," the ebony-haired youth replied returning his employer's smile with equal warmth, "but please choose a casual place, okay?"  
"Will do," the handsome celebrity stated chuckling lightly and with that the two men exited the stage and headed for the greenroom to rejoin the other cast members.

**oOo**

"Alright everyone, may I have your attention? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but we will be ready to begin in about ten minutes. We will start with the cover and group shots for the program and after that we will do the individual shots for the profile and portrait pages. The individual shootings will take about fifteen minutes each and a detailed timetable with the starting time for each one of you has been taped to the studio door, so please have a look," Sato Takahiro, the photographer in charge announced in a firm voice and the seven members of 'Dracula's' main cast nodded their heads a couple of times in understanding and affirmation before they re-engaged in the quiet conversations they had been having with each other while Kyousuke beckoned his employer into a corner in the back of the room, out of earshot from any of the studio's staff or the colleagues of the handsome actor.

"Watanabe-san, are you alright? It has been a very busy and eventful day and you haven't eaten anything since this morning, so you must be exhausted," the ebony-haired youth asked carefully, his voice laced with subtle concern. "Kinoshita-san will be here any moment now to check how things are going and I'm sure he could arrange for your individual profile and portrait page shooting to be rescheduled for some time tomorrow morning since you are supposed to come here tomorrow morning anyway for the shooting of the special photo sets that will be sold at the performance venue as part of the 'Dracula' merchandise collection and since I will accompany you here tomorrow, we could have lunch after the photo shooting instead of dinner tonight if you would prefer to go home early in order to take a good rest."

"As protective as usual, aren't you," Daisuke replied with the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and gently squeezed his assistant's shoulder in an appreciative as well as reassuring manner. "Thank you for your concern and consideration Mao, but I'm alright and tonight's photo shooting won't take long, so please don't worry. All I need is a sip from my thermos bottle and I will be as good as new. I will be back in a jiffy."  
And with that the handsome actor headed for the studio door, leaving Kyousuke to stare after his retreating back and returned only a few minutes later looking indeed somewhat more refreshed than before. "Just in time, the shooting for the group and cover pictures is about to begin," he was welcomed back by his dutiful assistant and nodded his understanding before the young man spoke up once more. "If it is okay with you, could I stay here and watch?"

"Of course you can," Daisuke answered smiling mildly and soon after he had gone to join the other cast members on set the photo shooting was fully underway with Kyousuke watching his employer attentively, unable to take his eyes off the handsome and renowned actor, once again fascinated by the man's charisma, natural sex appeal and elegance like he had been ever since the first day of his job trial.

"Well, how is your charge doing today," Kinoshita's voice ripped the ebony-haired youth out of his trance. "I must say that he looks very well considering the events of this morning and those of the past few days."  
"Yes, it seems that Watanabe-san has put the incident of this morning past him as soon as everything had gotten resolved and went on with his work, focusing on the tasks at hand as if nothing had happened," Kyousuke explained and offered the other man a mile smile. "I really admire him for this kind of professional attitude."

"He is very professional indeed, always has been, but in this instance I think it is mainly because of you being by his side that he could move on so quickly after everything that happened this morning and over the past few days. He was able to put things past him with such ease because you were there for him, always supporting and protecting him, defending him while never losing faith and belief in him and I think that means a great deal to him, a greater deal than he might be willing to acknowledge," Daisuke's manager stated thoughtfully and placed his hand gently onto Kyousuke's shoulder. "You did Watanabe-san a great service today by taking that video, despite the risk that undoubtedly posed for your own safety, in order to prove his innocence and for that he, the agency and myself are infinitely indebted to you."

"I…I'm glad I could help," the so addressed youth replied hesitantly and couldn't help but blush at all the praise he had just received, "and I'm glad that I happened to be at the right place at the right time."  
"Watanabe-san can count himself a very blessed man to have someone like you by his side to look after him and the way I see it he has begun to understand that as well," Kinoshita went on, his voice sincere and appreciative. "He often talks about you whenever we meet at the agency these days. He has warmed up to you surprisingly quickly and I don't know how you did it, but he has not only begun to open up to you but to depend on you as well. You are really good for him and having met you is probably one of the best things that have happened to him in a long time."

"I…I had no idea that…," Kyousuke began after a brief moment of slightly embarrassed silence, his soft voice barely more than a whisper, but was prevented from continuing from what he had been about to say by the producer of 'Dracula' who had approached Daisuke's manager. "Excuse me Kinoshita-san, I would like to speak with you for a moment if that's okay."  
"But of course, what can I do for you," Kinoshita answered and apologized to Kyousuke before following the producer into another corner of the studio while the ebony-haired youth turned his attention back to the photo shooting, his cheeks still glowing in consequence of all the things he had just been told.

"I have a proposition for you of which I'm sure you will approve," the producer of 'Dracula' began and explained his idea in all detail to Daisuke's manger, the middle-aged man nodding his head in understanding and affirmation every now and then as he listened and ultimately the two men shook hands before Kinoshita finally returned to Kyousuke's side. "You never grow tired of watching him posing in front of the camera, don't you?"  
"It still amazes me how naturally Watanabe-san behaves in front of the camera. He seems so comfortable and relaxed," the young man explained blushing faintly. "I on the other hand am always quite tense at photo shootings and I find it quite hard to be at ease in front of the lens of a camera."

"Believe me when I say that that Watanabe-san wasn't any different from you when he first started out in this industry, but it got better over time and he quickly lost his fear for the camera and I guess it will be the same for you as soon as photo shootings start to become more frequent," Kinoshita replied with an encouraging smile and gave the twenty-one-year-old a light pat on the shoulder before he continued. "Speaking of photo shootings, would you mind doing a little overtime today? You would get paid for it of course. The producer of the musical proposed using Watanabe-san as the model in an exclusive photo shooting for the 'Dracula' jewelry collection."

"Me as a model for the 'Dracula' jewelry collection, that sounds interesting," the man in question who had approached without his manager and assistant being aware of it, piped in before Kyousuke could answer the question that had been addressed to him. "What kind of collection is it?"

"Well, it's a unisex jewelry set which consists of three pieces, a necklace, a bracelet and a ring and was designed as one of the items of the official 'Dracula' merchandise collection and the producer asked if you could be the model in the promotional photo shoot for that jewelry set and since I think that this offer might be the production company's way of apologizing to you for everything that has happened recently, I took the liberty of accepting it on your behalf," Kinoshita explained factually. "That's why I just asked Hamao-kun here if he would be okay with working a little overtime tonight. I can't stay because I have to attend a meeting back at the agency, but if Hamao-kun would stay here with you, I think you would be in the best hands and well taken care of and the shooting will take less than an hour."

"I see…I guess it would have been very rude to turn the producer down," Daisuke replied with an unreadable expression on his handsome face before turning to his assistant. "Well Mao, what do you say? Would you be okay with staying for an extra hour?"  
"Sure, I have no plans for tonight, so working a little overtime is really no big deal," the twenty-one-year-old answered, a complaisant smile playing about his mouth. "You can count on me."

"I guess that is settled then," Kinoshita spoke up, satisfaction evident on his face as well as in his voice. "Your profile and portrait shots are the last ones to be take in today's official photo session, so you have about one hour to rest now and once your shots are done the photographer will immediately proceed to take the pictures that are needed for the promotion of the jewelry collection, meaning there won't be too much of a wait for you between those two sessions." And with that the middle-aged man bid Daisuke and Kyousuke farewell and took his leave, leaving the two men to their own devices.

"Thanks for agreeing to stay with me for that extra shooting. I really appreciate it," Daisuke spoke up once his manager had left the studio and offered the young actor by his side a mild, yet warm and heartfelt smile.  
"You're welcome," Kyousuke replied, his lips curling up in an equally warm smile. "It's really no big deal. Should I get you your thermos bottle or is there anything else you want?"  
"I drank what was left in that bottle just before the photo shooting started, but since I'm not thirsty that isn't a problem and I can't think of anything else you could do for me right now either," the renowned actor replied casually and began to chuckle lightly, "so it seems that you are left with no other task but to babysit me. Will you okay with doing just that and with keeping me some company?"

"Of course," the ebony-haired youth stated in a sincere, yet light-hearted manner and soon the two men were engaged in a casual conversation and kept chatting until Daisuke was approached by one of the photographer's assistants and asked to get ready for the shooting of his profile and portrait pictures for the official program of 'Dracula'.

"Itterasshai," Kyousuke exclaimed smiling mildly, secretly guessing that the photo session wouldn't take long due to his employer's professionalism, his natural talent and his comfort with the camera and he should be proven right for only about ten minutes later Sato contently remarked: "That's it Watanabe-san. We got so many great shots for the program that it will be difficult to decide which ones will be used. I will just change the camera and the lighting and then we will shoot the promo pictures for the jewelry collection, so please wait a moment until everything is ready." The so addressed actor acknowledged the photographer's words with a couple of affirmative nods and while the set for the final photo shooting of the day was prepared, a stylist began to refresh Daisuke's subtle make-up.

"As you might already know, the 'Dracula' original jewelry collection consists of a necklace, a ring and a bracelet. We will first shoot a few pictures with you wearing the necklace only, then a few pictures of the ring and bracelet and finally we will take a few shots in which you will be wearing the complete jewelry set," Sato explained in the most professional manner once everything was set and ready and when he had received another affirming nod from his model, he motioned for the stylist to put necklace, a beautiful medium-sized, gothic-style cross studded with an onyx in its center and smaller onyxes as well as some clear gems in every single one of its four corners on a medium-length chain, around Daisuke's neck and only a few moments later the handsome man stepped in front of the backdrop that had been selected for the shooting.

Kyousuke watched attentively as his employer began to assume various poses in his usual, professional manner and adjusted them according to the instructions of the photographer, but somehow he couldn't shake of the feeling that something wasn't quite the way it should be, even though he couldn't really explain what that it was and his apprehension quickly turned into genuine concern when he realized that Daisuke seemed to grow paler with every passing minute and that he also seemed to find it more and more difficult to focus on the task at hand, to hold the poses he was asked to assume properly and soon the photographer had noticed the change in his model's behavior as well.

"Keep it up Watanabe-san, you are doing a great job. Only ten or fifteen more minutes and we will be done," Sato encouraged the renowned actor. "All the pictures I have taken so far look amazing. We only need to take a few shots of the ring and the bracelet as well as a few pictures of you wearing the entire set and that will be it, but if you need a rest, we can take a short break."

"Thank you for your consideration, but I'm alright, so let's continue. I can do it," Daisuke replied somewhat weakly upon which the stylist appeared and handed the ring and bracelet, which were designed in the same style as the necklace, to the handsome celebrity.  
"Since your shirt has a high collar, you can just hide the necklace underneath the shirt until we need it again for the final part of the shooting," Sato added and with that the photo session went on, Kyousuke continuously growing more worried as he looked on while Daisuke exerted any effort to pull himself together.

"That's it Watanabe-san…perfect…great…," the photographer exclaimed several times, clearly more than satisfied with the images he was capturing, however, having got to know his employer at least to a certain extent since the first day of his job trial, Kyousuke knew how much strength and willpower it was costing the handsome celebrity to keep up the appearance that everything was alright when in fact he was feeling more than just a little unwell.  
"…and that's it Watanabe-san, we are done. Otsukaresame desu," Sato finally announced about twelve, seemingly endless minutes later upon which Kyousuke let out a sigh of relief. "We managed to create large number of great images."

"Thank you for your hard work and your excellent guidance Sato-san," the so addressed actor replied weakly and handed the entire jewelry set back to the stylist before he began to make a beeline for the studio door on relatively unsteady feet.  
"Wa-Watanabe-san," Kyousuke exclaimed softly when his employer approached, his voice laced with genuine concern and gave the older man a questioning look. "It's…it's nothing. See you tomorrow," Daisuke replied somewhat offhandedly in passing and staggered out of the studio.

"Watanabe-san, please wait," the ebony-haired youth half-shouted and was just about to bolt after the renowned actor when he was approached by the photographer and therefore prevented.  
"I wonder what happened," Sato mused thoughtfully. "Maybe Watanabe-san has overworked himself a little today. What do you think?"  
"Well, it has been a pretty long and stressful day for him," Kyousuke replied in a business-like manner, barely paying attention to the other man. "Did the pictures turn out okay?"

"I think they turned out more than just okay. I have to check them carefully in my photo editing program, but I dare say that these photos won't need much retouching if they need any at all which isn't really surprising if you are working with a man like Watanabe-san. The producer of 'Dracula' really made a wise choice when he selected Watanabe-san as the model for this collection of beautiful, silver jewelry," Sato stated with satisfaction and admiration in his voice. "I hope Watanabe-san will be alright tomorrow, so that the pictures for his 'Dracula' photoset will turn out just as great as the images which I took today."

"I'm sure he will rest well tonight and be full of energy for tomorrow's photo session, but please excuse me now. I need to go and find him," the twenty-one-year-old exclaimed somewhat urgently and then briskly headed for the studio door. "Watanabe-san…Watanabe-san, are you here," he called his employer's name as soon as he had reached the dressing room, but was greeted with dead silence, the soft humming of the air conditioner being the only sound that could be heard. "Watanabe-san!"  
"I think he already left. His bag and all of his other belongings are gone, so he must have gone home already," a member of the studio's staff spoke up from the corridor upon which Kyousuke turned around to face the new arrival.  
"Thank you, it sure seems that way, doesn't it," he replied with a frown appearing on his delicate features and fished his mobile phone from his bag as soon as the staff member had left, quickly selecting Daisuke's number from his list of contacts with slightly shaky fingers.  
"Please answer your phone," he murmured quietly as he pushed the 'call' and listened to the series of beeps which were indicating that the other's device wasn't switched off and that the call was going through, but much to his dismay he was eventually directed to the voice mail service.

"Darn it, I hate it when he does stuff like that," the young actor hissed checking his watch which was showing quarter past eight and pondered whether he should call Kinoshita or stop by Daisuke's home to check on the famous celebrity, finally choosing to do the latter and only about three minutes later he was sitting in the back of a taxi, heading for his employer's apartment which was only an eight-minute ride away from the studio. "I hope that he is alright," he muttered under his breath as he sprinted up the stairs of the apartment complex instead of wasting time waiting for the elevator, the feeling of anxiety that had begun to churn inside him instantaneously turning into one of dread when he noticed that the front door of the handsome actor's apartment wasn't closed properly, but was standing slightly ajar.

"W-Watanabe-san…Watanabe-san, it's me Kyousuke," he exclaimed softly and finally entered the apartment after only a few seconds of hesitation, heading straight for the living and dining area. "Watanabe-san, are you here," he asked once more as he stepped into the scarcely lit room and could quickly spot the familiar mop of his employer's hair peering out from behind the sofa once his eyes had at last adjusted properly to the lack of light. "You seemed quite unwell after the photo shooting and you took off so quickly," he explained in a gentle voice and carefully approached the sofa, "and you didn't answer your phone either, so I got worried and decided to check on you."

"Th-thank you Mao…but I…I'm okay…please leave," the so addressed actor replied shakily and with a hint of panic in his warm baritone which was usually not only melodic but firm and steady. "Please don't come any closer!"  
"You don't seem okay," Kyousuke gainsaid genuinely concerned at his employer's odd behavior and ignoring the man's request not to approach he slowly walked around the couch upon which Daisuke quickly lowered his head. "Please stay where you are and don't look at me! Please don't come any closer…I beg you," he exclaimed in desperation, trying to hide his face from the ebony-haired youth while his whole body began to tremble, but to no avail.

"Oh…Oh my God," Kyousuke exclaimed horrified and clasped his hands over his mouth, his eyes having widened in shock and disbelief at the sight that was unfolding before them for Daisuke was clutching a clear plastic bag which was filled with a red liquid tightly to his chest and had a string of the same liquid trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Please don't look at me and leave! I beg you," the renowned actor repeated helplessly, but when the other merely remained rooted to his spot without uttering a sound, he was ultimately left with no other choice but to face the young man who was staring at him in horror.

"W-What…what are you," the twenty-one-year-old asked with fear and trepidation evident in his trembling voice and took a couple of shaky steps backwards as soon as he had become aware of the change of Daisuke's eyes, which had turned from their usual warm, nut-brown color into a shade of purplish-blue, and of the fangs that were peeking out from the gap between the famous actor's lips. "What the hell are you?"  
"I…I'm…I'm a vampire," Daisuke replied meekly, his soft voice laced with dejection, sadness while trying to get up only to freeze almost instantaneously when the other cried out in sheer terror.

"No! Stay where you are! Don't you dare come any closer," Kyousuke screeched in panic before he briskly turned on his heels and bolted for the door without ever looking back.  
"Mao, please don't run! I won't hurt you," the so addressed celebrity repeatedly shouted in anguish after the fleeing youth and finally pushed himself to his feet, but slowly slid down the back of the sofa again when his pleas were answered with nothing but the sound of the front door being slammed shut with a thunderous bang. "Mao…M-Mao…," he sniffed brokenly and soon tears had begun to trickle down his pale cheeks. "I could never hurt you…please come back…please."

**To be continued...**

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter...did you enjoy it?

**Let me know what you think by leaving a little comment in the box below.**  
**As usual 5 reviews = a new chapter**

And as it has become tradition I will leave you with a few questions to dwell on until next time:

What will Kyousuke do now? Will he resign from his job or will he return to Daisuke?  
Can the two men start over again now that kyousuke has found out that Daisuke is a vampire?  
Will Yamada keep silent as he was told or willhe hatch a new plot?  
What about Fujiwara?  
How will he behave towards Mao in the future and will he seek revenge for the harsh scolding he got from Daisuke or will he let it pass and mend his ways?

Find out in the next chapter of Eternal Moon.  
I promise that I will do my best to update as quickly as I can!

Until then, stay save and take care!

Princess Serenity-chan


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hello Everyone!  
I wish you all a very happy new year!  
I know I have kept you waiting for ages for this update and I really have no excuse for having taken so long, except for my busy working life.  
I sincerely hope that you can forgive me for having made you wait so long for this update, but here it finally is…the latest chapter of 'Eternal Moon'.

This chapter focuses a lot on Dai-chan and Mao and on the development of their relationship since Dai-chan's secret came out, but there will be plenty of other action as well.  
I hope you will enjoy the read and please take a moment to leave me a comment with your thoughts.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Watanabe Daisuke, Hamao Kyousuke and Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi. I only own this story and the places, people and events I have invented for it.

**Eternal Moon Chapter 4**

_I have reached a crossroad…go to him and try to come to terms with the things I've seen the other night or keep my distance from him and move on as if our paths had never crossed…whatever decision I make it will affect my future life in one way or another…_

"What shall I do…what shall I do." Kyousuke murmured dejectedly and slamming his diary shut he let out a deep, frustrated sigh, not paying any attention to what was happening on stage during the rehearsal session of "Kashinfu" he was obliged to attend. "How am I supposed to deal with this? How am I supposed to act after what has happened that night? How can I face him after..."

"Ah Hamao-kun, there you are," the voice of the owner of 'Sun Mall Theater' ripped him out of his thoughts. "Are you enjoying a little break? "

"More or less Okamoto-san," the so addressed youth replied truthfully, "as you know, I only play a nothing of a part in this production and in the scenes the director is currently rehearsing I'm not featured at all, so…"

"I see," Okamoto stated smiling sympathetically at his young part-time employee, "but don't despair. I'm sure that things are going to change for you in the future, especially now that you are officially working for Watanabe-san. Speaking of your new employer, how is he and how are the two of you getting on now that you have signed the working contract?"

"A-Ano…Watanabe-san is well, I think." Kyousuke answered somewhat hesitantly after a brief moment of silence and lowered his gaze. "I…I haven't spoken to him since the photo shooting three days ago. Watanabe-san is fairly busy, but these past few days he hasn't required my services and there were the rehearsals for 'Kashinfu' which I had to attend."

"At least that gives you a little break. You have been working constantly ever since the beginning of your job trial," the owner of 'Sun Mall Theater' stated smiling warmly, "but I'm glad that you seem to have a good relationship with Watanabe-san now and that you are enjoying your work with him. However, I can tell that there is something on your mind these days, that there is something that troubles you a lot."

"You know me too well Okamoto-san. I really can't hide anything from you, now can I", the ebony-haired youth sighed and looked up at last to meet the older man's gaze with his own. "There is indeed something that has been bothering me recently and I don't really know how to go about it."

"Is this something by any chance related to your new employer," Okamoto inquired carefully and placed his hand gently on Kyousuke's shoulder. "You know that you can tell me anything, don't you? What is it that's lying so heavy on your mind? "

"It's…well, it's related to an acquaintance of mine." Kyousuke began shyly, unwilling to reveal that he was indeed talking about Daisuke, concerned about the consequences it might have for the handsome celebrity if he did. "I thought that I had come to know that guy pretty well since we spent a lot of time together, but recently I found something out about him that I hadn't expected and it took me very much by surprise and now I'm not sure how I'm supposed to act."

"I see and what you learned about your new friend, does it bother you because it offends your conscience or does it bother you on a personal level, like you feel that he should have told you in the name of the friendship the two of you are having," Kyousuke's employer asked helpfully after a moment of silent contemplation, "because that's the first thing you need to figure out before deciding your course of action."

"It's definitely personal," the young man sighed, "and it is something important. I wouldn't consider him and me to be very close friends since we haven't known each other long enough yet, but I still feel that he should have told me."

"I don't know your friend or what it is that he kept from you that unsettles you so much, but maybe he had his reasons for keeping that information from you for the time being and had intended to tell you later at some point," Okamoto mused thoughtfully and offered Kyousuke a mild, encouraging smile. "I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt or offend you. The question you have to ask yourself now is whether or not you can still believe in your friend now that you know his 'secret', whether or not you can still trust him the way you used to before you learned about this particular detail of his life. Ask yourself whether or not your friend has ever given you any reason in the past to distrust or to doubt him."

"I…I can't say that he has," the ebony-haired youth replied truthfully. "I guess the problem is that I consider the information he has kept from me as very important and now that I know the truth I'm finding it rather hard to come to terms with it."

"Well, in cases such as this one I've learned that trusting one's instincts is usually the best course of action, " the owner of 'Sun Mall Theater' explained in a calm, father-like manner and patted Kyousuke's shoulder a couple of times. "Follow your heart and I'm sure you will come to the right decision regarding this issue with your friend."

"Thank you Okamoto-san for listening to me and for offering me your advice. I really appreciate it," Kyousuke replied smiling gratefully at his employer. "I'm always bothering you with my problems."

"Don't worry Hamao-kun, you aren't bothering me at all," the so addressed man replied in the most complaisant manner while rising to his feet. "I'm glad I could help. I hope that everything will work out well between you and your friend, but now I should return to my office and do what I'm supposed to do as the owner of this theater." And with that Okamoto quietly took his leave, leaving Kyousuke to dwell on his feelings and thoughts.

**oOo**

Keisuke looked at Ryouma with a worried expression written all over his handsome features and then at the guest who was sitting on the sofa in a small, yet comfortable living room, a perfect picture of misery, sighing dejectedly for the umpteenth time.

"Dai-chan, try to cheer up. Nothing is lost yet," Keisuke finally spoke up gently and gave his vampire friend a sympathetic look. "Give him some time and I'm sure that Hamao-kun will come around and contact you eventually. You ought to believe me."

"Kei-chan is right you know and you must admit that learning that your new employer is in fact a vampire is a lot to take in," Ryouma piped in offering Daisuke a mild smile. "Look at me, I was shocked at first when I found out that you and Kei-chan were vampires, but did I not return to your side after all? There is a good chance that Hamao-kun will do exactly the same."

"I wish I could think as positive as you do," Daisuke replied with a sad sigh leaking from his lips, "but I can't. You weren't there that night. You didn't see the fear, the horror and the disgust in Mao's eyes, but I did and I will never forget it. He hasn't contacted me at all during these past three days, let alone come near me…I fear I have lost him for good."

"Don't say that Dai-chan, there is always hope and instead of waiting for Hamao-kun to contact you, you could always approach him first in order to talk things over with him," Ryouma suggested confidently patting his friend's shoulder. "I'm sure he would hear you out and give you the chance to explain yourself."

"No Ryouma," the so addressed actor replied quietly. "I can't be sure of Mao's present state of mind and therefore I'm afraid that by trying to get in touch with him I might actually drive him further away from me. I think that waiting for Mao to take the next step, whatever it might be, is the best option in face of the current situation."

"In the short time he has been working for you that kid has really become important to you, hasn't he," Keisuke mused smiling mildly, "and don't bother denying it. Even though you claimed that your relationship with Hamao-kun is purely professional the last time we talked, it is plain to see that he has indeed managed to break through your defenses and to get under your skin. If he hadn't, you wouldn't be as badly affected by his silence as you apparently are."

"I…I can't deny that I have grown somewhat used to Mao's presence and his company," Daisuke sighed after a brief moment of silence and hung his head. "I feel comfortable when he is by my side and even though I haven't exactly treated him well when we first met, he believed in me and trusted me. He was the first person to openly take my side and defend me when Akihiko was staging those incidents of bullying during the rehearsals for 'Dracula'. Even though all the evidence was speaking against me Mao never doubted me. He encouraged and supported me and ultimately saved me. If it hadn't been for Mao, I would have lost my role as 'Van Helsing' and would have been forced to leave the production."

"What do you mean," Ryouma asked curiously and raised one of his eyebrows. "Has there been another incident?"

"Yes, there was one other incident on the day Mao…well…," Daisuke stammered somewhat clumsily and wrung his hands in despair, "…well on the day he…"

"…he discovered your other self," Keisuke piped in helpfully upon which the famous celebrity nodded his head quietly in confirmation. "What happened exactly?"

"Well, that Akihiko fellow asked me to meet him at the theater for a chat and even though I expected some sort of trap I went because I wanted to end that stupid fight between us since I was sure that it would eventually affect the production," Daisuke began softly, his voice barely more than a whisper and with that he told Keisuke and Ryouma what had come to pass at the theater three days earlier. "…and then I just…I just hugged him. I…I don't know why I did it, but at that moment it just felt so right."

"That shows that you have indeed begun to think of Hamao-kun as a friend whether you admit it or not," Keisuke concluded and gave his vampire friend an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "You care about him."

"I…I guess I do," the renowned actor sighed dejectedly. "Ever since I became a vampire I have kept anyone who was trying to get close to me at a distance, thinking that it was the best way to keep my secret hidden from the world, but then I met Mao and suddenly everything changed. When I held him in my arms three days ago I thought that it would be nice to establish a friendship with him, to have someone like him in my life even though I'm a vampire and he is a human, but now…" With that Daisuke's voice trailed off and the handsome celebrity let out another pained and desperate sigh before he finally raised his gaze to face his friends, his deep, hazel-colored eyes clouded with genuine sadness. "What can I do? I don't want to lose Mao, but I fear that…"

"Listen Dai-chan," Ryouma interrupted the famous actor with gentle determination. "Don't jump to conclusions, just because Hamao-kun has kept his distance from you these past three days. It's too early for that. From what you told us Hamao-kun seems to be a sensible young man and I daresay that in due time he will approach you in order to talk things over with you."

"I agree with Baba-chan," Keisuke piped in smiling mildly. "I think that you are seeing things a little too black at present. I'm sure that everything between you and Hamao-kun will work out somehow, so try to keep your chin up and hope for the best."

"Thank you guys for listening to me and for encouraging me," Daisuke replied smiling gratefully yet melancholically at his friends and rose to his feet. "I really appreciate it, but I think I have taken up enough of your time. I really should go home." And with that the handsome actor made his way to the door with Keisuke and Ryouma almost instantaneously following suit in order to see their downcast friend off.

"Don't worry Dai-chan, your Hamao-kun will return to your side. I'm sure of it," Ryouma said it with an encouraging smile on his lips and thus, after having exchanged goodbyes with his friends, Daisuke quietly took his leave, his mood still being more than just a little somber despite the reassuring and encouraging words he had received.

"Why…why did he have to find out in such a way what I really am," the handsome celebrity murmured almost inaudibly again and again as he slouchily walked the streets of Japan's capital with his head hung low and his hands buried deep inside the pockets of his coat. "Why should he return and continue working, let alone becoming friends with a monster like me," he whispered dejectedly as he poured himself a drink in his apartment about one hour later and then slumped mopishly into the cushions of his sofa nursing the glass of blood in an emphatic lackadaisical manner, "after what happened the other night I wouldn't dream of coming back if I was him."

Letting out a pained and heavy sigh the renowned actor closed his eyes and had soon drifted off into a dull, dreamless slumber from which he was only woken by the sound of the doorbell echoing repeatedly off the walls of his living room. "Who could that be at this time of night," he murmured drowsily after having taken a quick glance at his watch, which was showing ten o'clock and made his way to the entrance, his eyes growing wide in disbelief and his jaw dropping to the floor as soon as he had opened the door wide enough to be able to see who his late-night visitor was.

"M…Ma…M-Mao," he stammered clumsily desperately trying to recover from the surprise and to regain his composure as he nervously stepped aside to allow the young man to enter. "P-Please…please come in."

"T-Thank you," Kyousuke replied shyly and stepped inside, an awkward, almost oppressing silence settling between the two men as Daisuke led the way into the living room where he offered his guest a seat on the sofa. "Can I get you something to drink? I can offer you tea, coffee or some orange juice," he finally spoke up remembering his duties as a good, hospitable host and walked over to the kitchen area. "I also have some beer in the fridge if you would like to enjoy something stronger than tea or coffee."

"A cup of tea would be nice," Kyousuke answered after a brief moment of hesitation and only a few minutes later the two actors were sitting across from each other, neither of them knowing what to say or how to start a conversation and thus silence settled between them once more.

"A-Ano…I…I've come here because I wanted to talk with you about…well… about the other night." Kyousuke finally spoke into the tense quiescence of the room, focusing his gaze for the most part on the cup of tea he was nursing rather than on his host, finding himself unable to look the handsome actor straight into the eyes. "I…I remember clearly what I saw that night…your eyes, the fangs and the blood and I also recall what you said about what you are."

"Mao…Mao I…," Daisuke began hesitantly, but not knowing what to say he quickly fell silent again.

"Over the past three days I have tried really hard to come to terms with what I have heard and seen, but I'm still finding it incredibly difficult," the ebony-haired youth continued quietly. "I'm perfectly well aware of the fact that my eyes and ears haven't deceived me, but it seems that despite all that I still can't wrap my mind around the idea that you…that you are a…a…"

"That I'm a monster," Daisuke piped in gravely, his voice is full of self-loathing, which made Kyousuke's head shoot up almost instantaneously, "that I'm some forbidding creature of the night that creeps around in the wee hours drinking blood and that shouldn't exist."

"No, no, no, that's not what I had meant to say," Kyousuke exclaimed, vehemently shaking his head. "I simply hesitated to use the world 'vampire' because until three days ago I used to think of them as being a creation of some novelists, a product of their vivid imagination, nothing more and nothing less. Not for one second did I ever consider it possible that you guys really exist and that you are living amongst us, quietly and unrecognized. You must admit that such a discovery is a lot to process, but you ought to believe me when I say that I don't think of you as a monster, as a very special specimen maybe, but certainly not as a monster and that I'm not afraid of you. Believe me that I wouldn't be sitting here right now if I was."

"Are you sure that it wasn't just curiosity that made you eventually come here to face me," Daisuke asked suspiciously and narrowed his eyebrows in reaction to the other's words, "that it was nothing more but the idea of being able to gaze upon a creature that shouldn't exist in this world?"

"Certainly not," the so addressed youth replied forcefully. "My intention of coming here was a verify what I had heard and seen the other night and to tell you that the fact that you are a vampire does neither affect the way I'm thinking about you nor the relationship we are having at present or my wishes for its future."

"I don't need your pity or fake sympathy Mao," Daisuke burst out jumping to his feet and turned his back to the slightly startled looking twenty-one-year-old. "I experienced enough of that in the days that followed my becoming a vampire."

"T-that's not what I'm offering Watanabe-san," Kyousuke replied firmly and with the utmost sincerity he could muster. "What I'm offering you, even though you might be doubting my motives, is to be there for you as your assistant and if you should ever let me do so, as a genuine friend as well. In the short time we have been working together I have come to know you as a good man and I would love to become friends with you."

"Beautiful words Mao, spoken with conviction," the famous celebrity stared with a sad sigh and finally turned around again to face the ebony-haired youth properly once more, "but could still say everything you have just said straight into my face when…when I'm…when I'm my other self?"

"Why don't you try me and find out for yourself," the twenty-one-year-old replied calmly and rose to his feet upon which he slowly made his way around the low coffee table, halting his steps only when he was standing just about an arm's length away from his employer. "Show me your other face. Transform and let me see the features of Watanabe Daisuke the vampire."

"Mao I…Mao I'm not sure if…," the renowned actor began, but fell silent again when he noticed the expression of determination on Kyousuke's face which made it only all too clear that the young man wouldn't book any opposition and with a deep, anxious sigh tearing from him he dropped his head only to slowly raise it again a short moment later.

"Well Mao, what do you say now," he asked softly as his eyes that were now of a purplish-blue shade met the ones of the other, his voice is barely more than a whisper. "Do you really want to become friends of a horrid creature like me?"

"Watanabe-san," Kyousuke breathed softly, his eyes showing none of the fear and disgust Daisuke had expected to see reflecting in them, but something else that tugged at the handsome actor's heart strings, something that he couldn't quite interpret, and ever so slowly the twenty-one-year-old reached out to touch his employer's face. Locking gazes with the handsome celebrity he let his fingers ghost down the other's cheeks and the bridge of his nose, gently mapping the contours of his pale, yet beautiful features, eventually letting them trail gingerly over his full, sensually curved lips which made their owner part them slightly with the soft gasp of surprise tearing from him thus partly revealing his fangs.

"They look very impressive indeed," Kyousuke whispered smiling timidly and let his fingertips ghost in a light, almost feathery touch over the pointy tips of the sharp looking teeth before he finally dropped his hand only to seek Daisuke's. "Watanabe-san, I'm really sorry for the way I acted the other night when I first found out your little secret," he stated with the utmost sincerity, wrapping his fingers gently around those of the handsome celebrity, squeezing them in the most encouraging and reassuring manner. "I'm well aware how much my reaction back then and the silence that followed affected and hurt you. I won't deny that I was shocked, afraid even, but not anymore."

"I remember the fear in your eyes, the terror reflecting in them and the horror on your face that night," Daisuke replied with a hint of sadness in his rich, baritone voice, "and I thought that I lost you for good as my assistant and as a potential friend, that I would be eventually informed by my manager about your resignation and that I would never see you or hear from you again. What made you to come back to me?"

"Reflection upon your behavior up until that night and trust in you I suppose," the ebony-haired youth explained truthfully after a brief moment of silent contemplation. "During all the time that I've been working for you, you never hurt me or tried to do me any harm. You kept your secret from me and tried to keep me at a certain distance, but you never did anything that would have affected my safety or my wellbeing. On the contrary, you protected me from Fujiwara, you even treated my wounds with your own hands. Why should you have done all that if you had been having any ill intentions towards me?

And then I just couldn't forget those words you shouted after me when I fled your apartment…_I won't hurt you_…Up until that night you have never given me any reason to doubt or to distrust you or your word, so I finally came to the conclusion that nothing would change in regards to that, even though that I'm no longer in the dark regarding your secret and well…what else can I say…here I am, trying to convince you that I want to remain by your side despite the fact that I know that you are a vampire."

"Yes, here you are," the handsome celebrity replied, a mild smile beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth, "and I'm very glad about it because…what I'm about to say might sound incredibly cheesy, but I will say it anyway since it is the truth and be done with it…I'm glad that you have returned to my side because with you for the first time in years, I had finally found someone I wanted to be acquainted with and to have as a friend."

"Really," Kyousuke exclaimed and blink his eyes in a couple of times in surprise, his cheeks gradually assuming a light shade of pink. "Really," Daisuke repeated his assistant's words his intense, almost hypnotizing gaze never leaving that of the young man as he continued in a slightly husky voice. "Just promise me one thing. Promise me that you will never be afraid of me again. After I had become a vampire there have been several occasions on which I ended up seeing myself as a monster in the eyes of people I cared about and I don't think I could bear it if I were to experience something similar with you."

"Watanabe-san," the so addressed youth breathed softly and following a sudden impulse he released Daisuke's hand from his hold only to wrap his arms gingerly around the handsome celebrity's middle a short moment later, pulling the renowned actor into a gentle embrace that was saying everything Daisuke needed to know and more and once he had recovered from his surprise he shyly returned the young man's gesture. Thus the two men stood silently in each other's arms holding one another for several long moments until Kyousuke suddenly began to giggle into the comfortable quiescence.

"What's so funny," Daisuke asked raising his eyebrows in confusion and pulled back a little from the embrace so that he could meet Kyousuke's eyes once more with his own, "What is it that you finding so amusing?"

"Nothing," the ebony-haired youth chuckled, his chocolate-colored orbs sparkling with unmasked gaiety. "I was just thinking how ironic it is that you're playing a vampire-hunter in 'Dracula' when you actually are a vampire in real life, that's all."

"I have never seen it that way, but now that you actually mentioned it…it is quite funny, isn't it," the handsome actor replied grinning and joined his assistant's bemused laughter with his own and thus the last bit of tension that had been remaining between the two men disappeared almost instantaneously. "Well now, I think you must have a lot of questions regarding myself and vampires in general," Daisuke spoke up once he and Kyousuke had calmed down and reassumed his seat on the sofa, gently pulling the young man down with him, "so fire away and I will do my best to satisfy your curiosity."

"I do have some questions indeed," Kyousuke replied and made himself comfortable, "like…are there many vampire out there and how does it come that people don't recognize you for what you are?"

"Well, there are many vampires all around the world I guess and there are about two hundred of us here in Tokyo," the so addressed celebrity explained truthfully and offered his ebony-haired assistant a mild smile. "People don't realize that we living amongst them because we are extremely careful and because there are very strict laws that every vampire has to abide by, laws that protect us as well as our secrets."

"I see, but I imagine that it must quite tough at times to live amongst humans without betraying your secret, especially when it comes to food and eating," the twenty-one-year-old mused thoughtfully. "I mean you guys live off blood after all. Where do you usually get it?"

"Well, usually we get most of our supply from places like blood banks and slaughter houses," Daisuke revealed in a matter-of-factly like manner, "and then there are the so-called 'donors'."

"Donors," Kyousuke repeated in disbelief and scrunched up his nose in the most adorable fashion. "You mean humans who voluntarily donate you their blood?"

"Yes, there is a small number of people who know of our existence and who not only tolerate us, but who permit us to occasionally feed on them," the renowned actor replied complaisantly, "but I don't have such a donor and no intention of getting one."

"I see and can you digest anything other than blood," Kyousuke pried on curiously. "I'm only asking because I saw you drinking coffee when we went to the café the other day."

"Well against the common belief we can digest liquids like tea, coffee, juice and alcoholic drinks which have the same effect on us as they have on you. The only difference is that we need to consume a much larger amount of alcohol than you for any effects to show," Daisuke explained smiling mildly, enjoying himself and the conversation, happy about the fact that he could finally talk openly to someone about his life as a vampire. "And while we are on the subject allow me to address some other misconceptions people usually have about us. Stuff like garlic or holy water has no effect on me whatsoever. I sleep in a bed, not in a coffin and while all my senses have been heightened and my physical strength has increased significantly when I become a vampire, one thing I can't do is to turn into some giant bat and fly around the city."

"Aww, that's too bad," Kyousuke chuckled light-heartedly, "because if you could that would be really cool. Now, is there anything that is harmful to vampires except for sunlight and wooden stakes?"

"Against common belief wooden stakes aren't that much of a threat to us. A stake in the heart will paralyze a vampire, but it won't kill him," Daisuke answered truthfully. "Except for too much exposure to sunlight there are only two things that are deathly for us, fire and silver. Fire would kill me within seconds and silver is like poison to me. If the silver removed quickly from my body I can recover, but if too much silver gets into my system it will eventually lead to my death."

"Well that explains why your condition changed so drastically during the photo shooting for the 'Dracula' jewelry collection," Kyousuke exclaimed, realization dawning on him. 'I promise that I will do everything I can to keep any silver stuff as far away from you as possible from now on."

"That's very kind of you Mao," the so addressed actor replied smiling gratefully, "and I know that I can count on you in that regard as well as in regards to helping me to keep my secret hidden."

"You certainly can," the ebony-haired youth stated with determination and the utmost sincerity. "I promise that I won't let you down. But now, can I ask you one last question…well, technically it would be two. How exactly does a human become a vampire and what's your story? How did you become a member of the vampire community? Did you get bitten by a vampire?

Is that how it works?"

"Well, I think we better leave that for another conversation," Daisuke replied softly and offered his assistant a mild, apologetic smile. "I'll gladly satisfy your curiosity regarding these two particular matters sometime, but not here and now. I think that for tonight you have discovered enough."

"You are probably right. However…," Kyousuke stated with a pleading undertone in his voice, fully intent on trying to make his handsome employer change his mind, but his attempt was frustrated by the renowned actor's phone going off.

"Sorry Mao, I need to take this call," the famous celebrity spoke up once he had picked the device up and checked the caller ID. "It's my manager." And with that Daisuke rose to his feet and pushed the 'accept call' button while exiting the room only to return a minute or two later with a barely noticeable smirk on tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I swear that based on his working habits that man is more of a vampire than I am," he remarked casually and sat back down. "He is in the middle of preparing my upcoming trip to Hokkaido and wanted to know whether or not you can make that trip with me because of the reservations that need to be made. The decision is of course entirely yours, but I really meant what I said that day when we first spoke about this trip and I still do. I would be very happy if you would accompany me to Hokkaido."

"Well, didn't I say at that time that I would gladly go with you," Kyousuke replied smiling shyly, "and now that everything between us has been resolved I see no reason why I should decline the offer of taking that trip with you and stay behind."

"I had hoped that you would say something like that," Daisuke said grinning happily. "I will send Kinoshita a text immediately and then I think we should get you home. It's almost midnight already."

"Oh my god, is it really that late. I have completely lost my track of time," the so addressed youth exclaimed in surprise his eyes growing wide in shock. "It's too late for catching the last train home and from here it's a forty-minute walk to my place."

"I could call you a taxi or I could walk you home," Daisuke suggested in a casual manner once he had finished typing his text message and had put the phone down. "I'm a night person after all, but the choice is yours."

"Hmm…I think a walk would be nice. We could chat a little more and do some catching up," Kyousuke answered with a shy yet warm smile playing about his mouth. "You haven't told me anything yet about the shooting for your 'Dracula' bromide photo set."

"Alright, then a late-night walk it is," the famous celebrity stated cheerfully and only about fifteen minutes later the two men were walking the deserted streets of Japan's capital.

**oOo**

Akihiko was sitting at a small table in a small café sipping a cup of coffee while tapping away on the screen of his smart phone and was just about to send a message when the voice of another man made him look up. "Ohayo, Yamada-san, long time no see. Please forgive me for being a little late."

"Ikeda-san, please have a seat," Daisuke's rival greeted the new arrival. "Sit down and tell me all the news. You are Kinoshita-san's assistant after all and therefore I assume that you wouldn't have contacted me if there wasn't any interesting information that has not yet been announced to the public and the talent agencies."

"That's right, there will be a big drama project coming up soon it seems," Ikeda explained in a hushed voice. "Only the managers of those actors who will be most likely cast for the main roles have been notified about it so far."

"That means Watanabe Daisuke is one of the candidates since you and Kinoshita have already received some information," Yamada hissed with a grim expression on his face and gave the other man a questioning glance upon which he received a confirming nod on the head. "Then tell me the details already, so that I can work something out. You get paid for this service after all.

"Ano, the project is a live action drama version of 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi' and it's going to be a big budget production based on the few pieces of information I had access too," the so addressed assistant manager stated after a brief moment of silence. "I assume that Kinoshita-san will speak about to Watanabe-san sometime today."

"This is outrageous! What is so damn special about that guy," Daisuke's rival exclaimed angrily and slammed his fist on the table, making the dishes rattle. "I texted my manager just before you came, asking if there was any important news and he replied that there wasn't any news that would be interest to me! Why is everyone treating that Watanabe guy as if he was a king or something like that, showering him with special offers for various, prestigious projects on an almost daily basis? I'm just as good and as talented as he is!"

"He is extremely popular for sure, but now you can take advantage of the information I have just given you," Ikeda explained matter-of-factly. "I assume that the official announcement will be made in about five to seven days. If you take the time until then to make yourself familiar with the manga and animation series of 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi' and to study the characters well, then you have every chance of beating Watanabe-san in the audition I think. The only reason why the managers of the most popular and desirable candidates are informed before an official announcement is made is that the schedules of those actors and actresses need to checked and arranged and so on."

"Well, whatever," Yamada growled. "The most important thing now is that I get one of the main roles no matter what it takes. The reward money for your service will be transferred to your private bank account as usual and now you should leave before someone recognizes either you or me. If we are seen together by some reporter, it would certainly be disadvantageous for both of us."

"True," the older man replied and rose to his feet, quietly taking his leave once he had bid the young actor goodbye.

"That was interesting news indeed," Yamada murmured almost inaudibly as he watched Ikeda's retreating figure and began to rummage his bag in search of his mobile phone. Once he had found what he had been looking for he quickly selected a number from his list of contacts and pushed the "call" button.

"Hi, it's me," he spoke up in a low, quiet voice as soon as his call had been answered and a smirk began to form on his lips. "I'll make this short. We need to meet as soon as possible. There is work to do. Can you meet me in one hour at 'Todoroki Valley' in two hours?"

"Certainly, I'll be there," the voice at the other and of the line replied almost instantaneously. "You can count on me."

"I sure hope so," Yamada hissed in a slightly threatening manner and ended the call. "I won't lose to Watanabe this time," he murmured grinning contentedly as he turned his attention back to the steaming mug of coffee that was sitting in front of him, finally leaving the café about one hour later to make his way to 'Todoroki Valley' park where he was already waited for by a young man in a fashionable black coat. "Yamada-san!"

"Fujiwara-san, long time no see," the so addressed celebrity replied and shook his hands with the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu'. "Thanks for meeting me here on such a short notice. Let's take a walk."

"Sure," Fujiwara stated complaisantly and soon the two actors were walking the wooded grounds of the small park. "How have you been recently?"

"Well, since we are represented by the same agency you might have heard that I left the 'Dracula-The musical' production," Yamada began carefully and Fujiwara ? "Have you heard any particulars?"

"Not really," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' answered truthfully. "What I heard is that your management asked the producer of 'Dracula' to let you go since you were only a substitute cast, so that you would be free to pursue other projects instead."

"Yes, exactly…and the perfect opportunity is about to present himself (?) ," Yamada lied bluntly, breathing a barely noticeable sigh of relief that his managers had been able to hide from the public what had really happened. "Apparently, there is a big drama project named 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi' coming up and so far only the managers of the actors of the most desired for the main roles have been contacted so far and the manager of Watanabe Daisuke seems to have been one of them."

"Well, considering Watanabe-san's success, reputation and popularity it isn't really surprising that he is among the most wanted candidates for that drama series," Fujiwara explained nonchalantly and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't think of anything you could do regarding that matter."

"That's where you are wrong," Yamada snickered. "All I have to do is to prevent Watanabe-san from auditioning and believe me when I say that I will do whatever it takes to achieve it. This is my chance to make it to the top and I won't this chance slip through my fingers."

"I admit that I'm holding a grudge against Watanabe-san since he gave me a quite embarrassing tongue lashing a few days ago, just because I ? his precious assistant a little and I wouldn't mind to see him being beaten by a rival for once, but shouldn't you play this game fair and square," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' mused thoughtfully, "and what are your plans? How do I fit into them…for that is surely the reason why you wanted to meet me."

"Since you already guessed my purpose for contacting you there is no need for me to beat about the bush," Yamada answered in the most casual manner. "For the time being I don't have a detailed plan yet, but it will only be a question of time before I'm going to have one and until then I would like to recruit your service. Since you are working together with Watanabe's assistant, that Hamao Kyousuke guy, I want you to spy on him and to keep me updated with anything, no matter how insignificant, that is related to Watanabe and what he is up to."

"I see and if I were to help you, what would be in it for me," Fujiwara asked bluntly. "What would I gain from assisting you in your plot?"

"As you well know I have a good deal of connections in this business and I would use them to help you reach the next step in your career as remuneration for your services," Yamada declared confidently, "and by helping me you would get a chance of letting back at Watanabe for that verbal dressing down he gave you. The choice is completely yours. You can refuse me and leave and the only thing what I will ask of you in that case is to forget this meeting or you can agree to help me which would bring benefits for you in various ways, but if you do I will expect your full cooperation in this matter."

"I will be at your service," Fujiwara declared after a brief moment of contemplative silence, lured in by the other's promise of helping him on his career. "And to show you that I mean it, I will reveal something to you. Hamao has taken a couple of days off from rehearsals in order to be able to accompany Watanabe-san on a secret business trip. I overheard him talking to the producer of 'Kashinfu' the other day."

"Very interesting, very interesting indeed," Daisuke's rival hissed in a dangerously low voice, "I wonder what Watanabe is up to this time and in the midst of rehearsals of 'Dracula' on the top of that. Keep your eyes and ears open and report me instantly whenever you have found out something new."

"I promise," Fujiwara stated with all the sincerity he could muster and with that the two actors firmly shook hands to seal their bargain before thy finally parted their ways.

**oOo**

"Oh I'm so excited," Kyousuke beamed cheerfully and examined the boarding ticket he was holding for the umpteenth time. "It's been quite a while since I last went on a trip."

"You sure are quite chipper considering that it is only six-thirty in the morning," Daisuke replied casually, but couldn't prevent a bemused smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. "This is your first trip to Hokkaido, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I never had the opportunity of going to Hokkaido neither privately nor on business," the so addressed youth explained truthfully, "but I heard that it is a really beautiful part of Japan with lots of delicious, local foods."

"That's true and it is very green as well," Daisuke answered complaisantly and offered his assistant a mild smile. "I'm sure that you will love it. And now I think we should make our way to the security control if we don't want to be late for boarding."

And with that the handsome celebrity ushered Kyousuke towards the entrance to the security check area and only about three hours later the two men left the arrival hall of Chitose airport and boarded the shuttle bus bound for Sapporo station.

"The hotel will send someone to pick us up and since we are perfectly on schedule, there shouldn't be any problems," Daisuke stated contentedly and made himself comfortable in his seat before drawing the window blinds, "and with the camera team and their staff members having arrived yesterday afternoon already. I'm sure that today's shooting will commence as scheduled at one o'clock."

"Is there anything in particular for me to do today," Kyousuke asked curiously. "I mean you will have a team of stylists and make-up artists taking care of you during the filming, so I'm wondering what will be left for me to do."

"We will talk about that once we are in our hotel room," the so addressed celebrity answered quietly and closed his eyes. "For now I suggest that you relax and enjoy the ride. It's going to be a long day."

"Will do," Kyousuke stated smiling happily to himself as he followed his employer's example and made himself comfortable as well and thus a comfortable silence settled between the two actors and when they arrived at the station about forty minutes later they both felt more than ready for the day that was lying ahead of them. The hotel's limousine was waiting for them outside the main entrance just as Daisuke had said and soon the couple was sitting at the small coffee table in their comfortable and relatively big twin-bed room.

"What time are we supposed to meet up with the production team and the crew," Kyousuke asked curiously and took a quick glance at his wrist watch. "It's eleven-fifteen now."

"We will meet them at twelve-thirty in the lobby," Daisuke explained matter-of-factly and offered his assistant a mild smile. "So there is plenty of time for us to freshen up and if you are hungry, feel free to call room service to order a snack. You can also go downstairs to the bistro if you like. I prefer to stay in since I expect an important delivery."

"A delivery," the ebony-haired youth repeated curiously, but with a knowing undertone in his voice. "A delivery of certain…ano…provisions I suppose?"

"Exactly and the courier is supposed here any moment now," Daisuke chuckled and as if to prove him right there was a knock on the door only a short moment later.

"I think we should put this very special parcel in the safe. That way the cleaning staff won't come across it or anyone else for that matter," Kyousuke suggested and received an approving nod from his employer. "You will need some blood to retain your strength during the filming this afternoon."

"Very true that," Daisuke replied truthfully, "but since it a cloudy day, I think that a small bottle should be enough. I have a perfectly-sized bottle in my luggage and I will prepare it. Your duty today will be to look after it, and to keep it with you at all times and away from prying eyes. Other than that there won't be much for you to do this afternoon except for keeping me company. It will be a stroll in the park for you."

"I'm entirely at your service," the so addressed youth replied solemnly. "I will do everything that's necessary to protect you and your secret and to make you feel comfortable."

"Thank you Mao, I know that I can count on you in every respect," Daisuke stated with a gentle, affectionate smile tugging at the corners of his mouth that made Kyousuke blush a little and with that the two actors went about their business of preparing everything that would be needed at some point throughout the afternoon before they finally went downstairs to meet the team and the producers they would be working with for the next two days.

After the formal greetings had been exchanged, introductions were made and once a short briefing session had taken place the group set out to the first location of filming and after the stylist and make-up artist had taken care of Daisuke the shooting began. As the handsome actor had predicted there wasn't much to do for Kyousuke as the group moved around from one location to the next in the city of Sapporo.

Instead the twenty-one-year-old spent most of the time during the filming watching his employer attentively, trying to learn as much as he could by observing the renowned celebrity as closely as possible, occasionally scribbling notes into a small notebook and once again he couldn't help but marvel at Daisuke's charisma in front of the camera and at his professionalism when it came to dealing with the producers or the members of the camera crew.

From time to time, especially when the directors were busy talking to the staff, giving their instructions Daisuke requested a sip from the small bottle that Kyousuke had in his care and thus the afternoon passed quickly and without any incidents.

Around seven o'clock the directors called everyone in for a brief meeting in order to discuss the agenda and the schedule for the following day before they finally dismissed the group with the usual 'otsukaresama deshita'.

"You must be quite hungry since you didn't have much to eat through the whole of today," Daisuke remarked casually once he and Kyousuke were back in their room. "You only had breakfast at the airport this morning and a small sandwich before we left the hotel if I'm not mistaken, so how about going out for a dinner? I know some very nice restaurants around here."

"T-thank you very much, I'd love to," Kyousuke stammered somewhat clumsily and couldn't help but blush a little, flattered and surprised by his employer's attentiveness. "I'm pretty hungry indeed to be honest."

"Great, then let's get out of here," Daisuke exclaimed happily and only about twenty minutes later the couple was sitting in the back of a taxi, heading into the very heart of the city to a destination that was only known to the more famous of the two handsome men.

"I hope you like yakiniku," Daisuke stated casually once he and Kyousuke had gotten off the cab and were walking down a narrow street that was lined with tiny, traditional restaurants and izakayas. "The restaurant I want to take you to has the best grilled meat I have ever tasted in my human life."

"Yakiniku, I love yakiniku," the so addressed youth beamed and after another few minutes of walking he found himself sitting across from his employer in a cozy booth of an old, relatively small yakiniku restaurant.

"This place is amazing," he exclaimed excitedly, marveling at the traditional interior of the shop which consisted almost entirely of dark and light woods. "It feels like we have gone back in time."

"That's what I like about this place as well, apart from the great food of course and it's quality," Daisuke replied and offered Kyousuke a warm smile. "Speaking of which, would you allow me to order a nice selection of meat for you or do you want to make your own choice?"

"I trust you and you know the food here very well, so go ahead and surprise me," the ebony-haired youth answered in a somewhat playful manner and shoved the menu demonstratively right under Daisuke's nose. "As for drinks, I'd like to have a draft beer."

"I'll go for that as well," Daisuke stated casually while pushing the "bell" button on the table to call the waiter and only a couple of minutes later the paper door to the booth they were occupying was slid open by a member of a staff. The handsome celebrity ordered a number of dishes whose names Kyousuke could hardly catch even though he was straining his ears as best as he could and once Daisuke had closed the menu the waiter scurried away only to return a short while later with two large jugs of beer.

"Well, here's to our first business trip together," Daisuke announced and raised his glass. "Thank you for accompanying me here."

"Thank you for asking me to go with you," Kyousuke replied smiling warmly and with that the two actors drank their toast before engaging in a casual and friendly conversation about this and that.

"By the way, I saw you scribbling stuff into a notebook several times this afternoon. What were you doing," Daisuke suddenly asked nonchalantly, trying to hide his curiosity behind a poker face that didn't give anything away. "You were looking quite busy at times."

"Oh that…I…ano…I studied, Kyousuke answered somewhat shyly. "I observed you…how you acted in front of the camera and how you interacted with the people you interviewed for the documentary. I took notes of things I noticed because I felt that I could learn something for my future career but if my studying you makes you feel in any way uncomfortable I will stop."

"No, that's perfectly fine. To be honest I feel quite flattered that you chose me as your object of studies and I admire your sincerity and devotion to your work. You are really determined to push your career to the next level, aren't you," the so addressed celebrity replied complaisantly and was just about to say something else when the paper door opened and the waiter appeared, carrying various kinds of meat, sauces and dips.

Once he had set down the plates and bowls in front of the two men, he switched on the table's gas grill and gave instructions as to how the meat should be grilled and with which kind of sauce or dip it should best be eaten before he finally took his leave again.

"Wow…that looks really delicious," Kyousuke exclaimed as he watched his employer putting several pieces of beef onto the grill and unconsciously licked his lips.

"It tastes delicious too and it's all for you," Daisuke remarked with a mild smile on his face and just for a split second Kyousuke could detect a hint of melancholy on the handsome features of his renowned employer. "I assume that you don't often get the chance to go to a restaurant like this one, right?"

"To be honest I hardly ever eat out," Kyousuke explained truthfully and couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. "The money I make as a C-level actor and the salary from my part-time job at the theater is just enough to pay the bills and to support my cat and myself and since I'm also trying to put some money aside at the end of each month regular visits to restaurants, izakayas clubs or bars are quite out of question."

"I see and I can well understand you. When I first started out this business I was in the same situation that you are finding yourself in right now. But don't you worry. I'm sure that things will get better in the future," the so addressed celebrity stated with sincerity and offered the ebony-haired youth a reassuring and encouraging smile. "For once this assistant job will get you a considerable amount of extra money and considering your talent, devotion and sincerity, I'm convinced that you will soon be able to get better acting jobs as well, jobs that will boost your career and your popularity."

"Thank you Watanabe-san, I do hope so and I won't give up on my dream and continue to work hard, even without the support of my agency," Kyousuke replied firmly and with determination. "I will show them! But speaking of jobs, I thought of something that would make your life a little easier, but I'm not sure whether or not it can be done."

"Something that would make my life easier," Daisuke repeated curiously and gave the twenty-one-year old a questioning look. "What could that be?"

"Well, since I got to know that you are…ungh… special and therefore need to stay clear of silver the incident after the 'Dracula' photo shooting made me think a lot. I did some research and I came up with an idea that could be a possible solution for this problem," Kyousuke explained calmly. "Many people claim that they are allergic to silver and that usually means that they are allergic to nickel, a metal that is often mixed with the silver that's used in jewelry and accessories.

However, they are indeed people who are allergic to silver itself. It's a rare allergy, but it exists. If you could obtain a medical statement that says that you are allergic to silver, we could present to your management and agency and I'm certain that because of such a medical statement they would make sure that during future photo shootings, filming, etc. no silver is used on your costumes or contained in any of the accessories you might have to wear and since you are member of a 'special community' and therefore have certain contacts…"

"That's a brilliant idea Mao…I have never thought of anything like that," his discourse was interrupted by his employer. "A medical certification isn't that difficult to get and…"

"and as far as your job is concerned it would reduce the risk of you being exposed to a substance that could not only harm you but lead to discovery of your secret as well" the ebony-haired youth finished smiling widely, "so what do you think?"

"I think you are probably the best thing that happened to me ever since the day I became the man I am now," Daisuke blurted out, his tongue acting faster than his brain for once and tried to cover up his slip by adding a casual "and I will take care the allergy matter immediately once we are back in Tokyo" as soon as he realized what he has just said.

"O-okay, I'm glad you liked my idea," Kyousuke replied somewhat shyly, focusing his attention on the food while trying to hide, though rather unsuccessfully, the faint blush that had crept onto his cheeks at the words of his employer and eager to make the rather awkward moment pass as quickly as possible, he changed the topic of the conversation, trying his best to sound casual and unfazed. "What is the plan for tomorrow by the way? Will there be anything special for me to do?"

"I don't think so. I think that things for you are going to be similar to the way they were today," Daisuke replied promptly, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief and only a few moments later the two men were once more engaged in an animated conversation enjoying the evening as well as each other's company so much that they couldn't help but sigh in dejection when it was at last time to return to the hotel.

"Thank you so much Watanabe-san for taking me out tonight," Kyousuke said smiling mildly once the couple was back in their hotel room and accepted a cup of hot tea Daisuke had prepared and was holding out to him with an appreciative nod before sliding under the warm covers of his bed. "I really had a great time."

"I'm happy to hear that," the so addressed celebrity replied, a relieved smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It's been quite a while since I've done this…trying to establish and foster a friendship with someone I mean. Please tell me if I'm too pushy or demanding or anything like that. The last thing I want is to make you feel awkward or in any way uncomfortable."

"Don't worry, everything is alright. To be honest I like it that you have begun to come out of your shell and that you have started to show me more of the 'real' you, if you know what I mean," Kyousuke stated softly and offered the other such a warm, gentle and reassuring smile that the handsome actor couldn't help but to start fidgeting a little.

"Thank you Mao. This means a lot to me," he replied after a brief moment of silence, his voice barely more than a whisper. "And now I think you should go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day after all."

"So da yo ne," the ebony-haired youth sighed trying to stifle a yawn and set down the empty cup on the bedside table before resting his head on the soft, fluffy pillow. "Goodnight Watanabe-san, sleep well."

"Goodnight Mao," Daisuke answered sliding under the covers of his own bed and only a short while after he had switched off the light, he and Kyousuke drifted off to sleep.

**oOo**

"Watanabe Daisuke is doing what," Yamada roared and slammed his fist angrily into the wall of his living room. "He…he is in Hokkaido together with his new assistant Hamao Kyousuke for the shooting of a documentary feature for NHK," Fujiwara stated meekly, keeping his eyes riveted on the floor in order to avoid Yamada's piecing and vengeful gaze that was filled with hatred. "I heard it from Kinoshita-san last night. He came to 'Sun Mall' theater to pay the owner a friendly visit and they talked about it. Watanabe-san is currently in Sapporo and is expected to return to Tokyo tomorrow night."

"This is unbelievable! What is so damn special about Watanabe Daisuke? First he and this Hamao guy get me fired from the 'Dracula' production and now Watanabe is featured in a documentary that is going to be broadcasted at primetime at the most popular TV channel in the country." Yamada growled. "That guy gets bombarded with highly lucrative offers while I have to complete with many other actors and idols to get some prestigious jobs that would have to boost my career, but my luck will change if I ca get one of the main roles in 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi'."

"I hope you can succeed," Fujiwara replied in a rather soft-spoken manner, choosing his words carefully, "but I'm still wondering how you want to prevent Watanabe-san from auditioning? And what one of the main roles is offered to him without any audition?"

"A drama series is different from a simple documentary you fool. Therefore no part is given away without an audition," Daisuke's rival explained with an evil grin on his face, "and that means that the great Watanabe Daisuke will have to audition if he wishes to be casted for any of the parts available, but there's no need for us to wrack our brains just yet. As long as we don't know all the details regarding the time and place of the audition we can't act."

"You are right," Fujiwara mused thoughtfully. "I have to say that I'd love to teach Watanabe-san a lesson as revenge for the embarrassment he caused me the other day."

"Then we still have a deal," Yamada asked with a suspicious undertone in his firm voice. "You are really okay with becoming my accomplice in this matter? Remember, once we have made our first move there is no turning back."

"I know, but I assure you that you can count on me," the self-proclaimed star of 'Kashinfu' replied in a reassuring manner and with that he and Yamada Akihiko shook hands to seal their shady deal.

**oOo**

Daisuke slowly opened his eyes and stifling a yawn he stretched himself a couple of times before turning his head and letting his gaze come to rest on the figure of his assistant who was still slumbering peacefully in the neighboring bed and his lips began to curl up in a mild smile at the sight.

"He looks like a little angel…a little angel who has managed to turn my life pretty much upside down in just a few weeks," the handsome celebrity mouthed inaudibly and let out a soft sigh which had barely left his mouth when Kyousuke began to stir, his eyes fluttering open only a moment later.

"Good morning Mao," Daisuke said softly and offered the ebony-haired youth a warm smile. "Have you slept well?"

"Ohayo Watanabe-san," Kyousuke replied in a slightly drowsy manner, smiling back at his employer before he began to rub the sleep from his eyes. "I've slept very well and you?"

"Vampires need far less sleep than humans do, remember," the renowned actor explained patiently. "So I often spend sleepless nights or days, depending on my schedule, but last night I slept surprisingly well."

"Since you obviously needed the rest you must have been quite exhausted after a whole afternoon of filming in broad daylight and spending the evening entertaining me," Kyousuke mused thoughtfully, "so how about starting this day with a good and nutritious breakfast for the two of us?"

"Hmmm…a good and nutritious breakfast for me," Daisuke repeated playfully, a hint of mischief gleaming in his beautiful hazel-colored eyes. "Are you offering?"

"Watanabe-san," the so addressed youth exclaimed feigning indignation and threw his pillow into the direction of his employer who dodged the fluffy projectile without much difficulty before surrendering to his attacker.

"Alright, alright…I give up," Daisuke chuckled and raised his arms as a sign of capitulation. "I'll be a good vampire and content myself having a bit of that 'special delivery' we got yesterday for breakfast."

"Good and now let's get ready," Kyousuke smirked in a good-humored manner and soon the two men were busy doing their morning rituals and getting dressed and when they finally arrived in the hotel lobby about one hour later most of the film team was already assembled.

Thus the second day of the shooting began and for Kyousuke everything was pretty much as it had been the previous days regarding his assistant duties and once again he took the opportunity to closely observe his employer, taking notes about any discovery he deemed useful for his own performance in front of an audience or a camera and much to his surprise he also made a discovery about himself in the process.

To his astonishment the twenty-one-year-old found that he had begun to quite eagerly anticipate the breaks during the filming, in particular the time he could spend with Daisuke chatting and philosophizing about this and that and he was rather amazed at himself, of how quickly he had come to feel really comfortable about being by the renowned actor's side, considering that it had only been a relatively short time since the day he had learned about the handsome celebrity's secret. "It seems like I have become a fan of my employer," he mouthed inaudibly and couldn't help but blush faintly at the thought.

"Hey Mao, what are you daydreaming about," he was ripped out of his musings by the voice of the man in question. "I hope you aren't feeling too bored?"

"No Watanabe-san, I'm alight. Please don't worry," the ebony-haired youth replied hastily. "I was just wondering what might be on the agenda for the rest of our stay."

"Well, we made such good progress that the entire filming will wrap up in about two hours or so," Daisuke explained smiling contentedly, "and tonight we will all get together at an izakaya near the hotel for a little dinner party. The producer has made a reservation for us."

"That sounds nice," Kyousuke answered happily. "I'm sure we will have a good time."

"I think so too. We will certainly amuse ourselves tonight. And since the production is going to wrap up today we will have some time tomorrow morning for a little bit of souvenir shopping before going to the airport," Daisuke stated in a good-natured manner before he was approached by member of the film crew and asked to get ready for the last few hours of shooting and offering Kyousuke another smile the handsome actor asked for a swig from the bottle the ebony-haired youth was safeguarding.

With that filming recommenced and only about four hours and a refreshing shower later all the members of the production were sitting in a private dining room of a relatively big, yet cozy izakaya laughing and chatting animatedly.

Kyousuke had wisely chosen seats in the furthest corner of the booth for himself and his employer and tended to him, cleverly using only one plate between the two of them for eating, thus making sure that the fact that the handsome celebrity wasn't eating anything would go unnoticed and thus the evening flew by as did the following morning, leaving the two men to feel a twinge of wistfulness when it was finally time for them to make their way to Chitose airport in order to return to Tokyo where they were already awaited by Daisuke's manager.

"Watanabe-san, Hamao-san, welcome back," Kinoshita greeted the couple. "I hope you guys had a good time in Hokkaido and a pleasant flight."

"Thank you. It was a short, but very nice trip," Daisuke replied smiling mildly. "The filming went smoothly and Mao here has taken really good care of me."

"I heard that you were even able to finish the shooting ahead of schedule. The producer called me about one hour ago to thank me and to sing his praises of you and Hamao-san," the manager stated proudly and gave his charge as well as Kyousuke and acknowledging pat on the shoulder before leading the two men out of the arrival hall of the airport to one of the numerous parking areas.

"I know that the two of you are probably quite exhausted and want to go home as soon as possible, but if you don't mind I'd like to take you to the office first for a brief meeting," he explained in a matter-of-factly manner once they were inside his car. "Information regarding a very interesting project has been given to me just before you left for Hokkaido and I'd like to discuss some details with you regarding said project which is a TV drama production."

"You are making me curious Kinoshita-san and as far as I'm concerned I don't mind stopping by the agency for a short briefing session," Daisuke replied good-naturedly and curiously raised his eyebrows to give point to his words before turning to Kyousuke. "What about you Mao? Are you up for a brief visit to the agency before heading home?"

"Of course I am and I have to admit that I'm also quite curious about this new project," the ebony-haired youth replied without a moment's hesitation and thus the three men entered the lobby of Daisuke's agency about half an hour later.

"Well then, as I have already mentioned in the car this project, which is called 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi' by the way, is a TV drama production," Kinoshita explained factually once he, Daisuke and Kyousuke had made themselves comfortable in his office.

"'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi'," Kyousuke repeated curiously and exchanged a couple of excited glances with his employer. "The 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi'…the Boys Love manga series that has been so popular that it was adapted into an animation series a couple years ago which was also extremely successful?"

"Yes, that's the very manga series I'm talking about," Daisuke's manager replied calmly, "and it's because the popularity and success of both the manga and the animation series that one of the biggest private television channels and a famous drama production company have decided to adapt the manga into a live action drama. The production is going to be a high budget one and is therefore a quite attractive proposition for any renowned actor and those artists who wish to push their career to the next level. The producers have already approached me and mentioned that they would be delighted if you would audition for one of the main roles. The question is Watanabe-san whether or not you are interested in auditioning for this drama production."

"Hmmm…a boys love story…that sounds quite intriguing," Daisuke stated thoughtfully. "While I have watched a couple of boys love movies in the past I have never acted in a BL-themed drama, musical or stage play before, but would certainly be up for the challenge and willing to widen my horizon by becoming part of such a production. However, since I'm neither familiar with the original manga nor with any of its principal characters I'm not at all sure which part I should best audition for."

"Ano, there are two main characters in 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi' Takano Masamune who works at a famous publishing company and is the chief editor of a very successful comic magazine and Onodera Ritsu who is a new employee in the manga editing department and the two men are connected to each other because they used to be romantically involved with one another in their high school days," Kyousuke piped in somewhat shyly and with his cheeks slowly turning pink he gave his employer a short summary of the story and briefly introduced the most important characters to him. "…I really enjoyed reading the manga and watching the animation series and I think that you would make a wonderful Takano-san. In my opinion that role would be very suitable for you considering the character's personality and your own. They are really compatible."

"Well Watanabe-san, what do you say," Kinoshita asked curiously and gave his charge a questioning look. "What are you going to do?"

"After what I just heard I think I will definitely audition for a part in this drama," Daisuke replied promptly and without hesitation, his voice firm and determined. "Moreover, since I trust his judgement completely, I will follow Mao's advice and audition for the part of Takano Masamune."

"I'm really glad to hear it," Kinoshita exclaimed happily and gleefully rubbed his hands while Kyousuke tried his best not to turn crimson. "I will prepare your application documents and send them to the production company immediately. I'm sure that this will be another success for you. The audition will be held on June the fifteenth, so you will have about three-and-a-half weeks to prepare yourself for it. I suppose that I will receive the script of the scene you are supposed to act out within two or three days after the submission of your application and now that everything is settled for the time being I think you should go home and rest. I will call a car for you."

"Thanks Kinoshita-san, I will do my best to succeed in this audition," the renowned actor replied politely and rose to his feet, Kyousuke following his example almost instantaneously and once they had exchanged their goodbyes with the manager the two men took their leave and headed down to the lobby where a driver picked them up only a few minutes later.

"A-Ano…Mao, can I ask you a favor," Daisuke spoke up once he and the ebony-haired youth were sitting comfortably in the back of the car. "Since I'm not really familiar with 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi' while you seem to know a great deal about it, would you mind helping me to rehearse for the audition? I think you could provide me some very helpful input and advice regarding my portrayal of Takano."

"Not at all, I'd love to help and assist you," Kyousuke replied smiling brightly. "Your manager said it is going to be at least two or three days before you will get the script of the scene that you will have to act out at the audition and I have the entire manga series as well as the DVDs at home. I'm not really into Boys Love, but that 'Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi' really grabbed my attention, so if you don't mind stopping by my place before you head home, I can give you the manga series, the novels as well as the DVDs and you can use them to acquaint yourself a little with the story and the character you are going to audition for."

"Thank you, I'd really appreciate that," Daisuke said returning his assistant's smile with warmth as well as gratitude and thus the handsome celebrity found himself in front of Kyousuke's apartment about twenty minutes later.

"By the way Watanabe-san, I think I should warn you that I have a cat. So don't be surprised if we get 'attacked' by that little fur ball as soon as I have opened the door. My friend has been looking after Roku for me until this morning," the ebony-haired youth explained as he inserted the key into the lock and turned it, Daisuke quietly nodding his understanding, and true to his word a brown tabby cat came darting into the small hall almost as soon as the couple had stepped through the door. Meowing and purring the beautiful feline rubbed itself affectionately against its Kyousuke's legs a few times before finally jumping into the young man's arms.

"Yes, yes Roku, I missed you too," the twenty-one-year-old said softly and began to nuzzle the soft fur of his pet in the most loving manner and Daisuke couldn't help but smile at the scene that was unfolding before his eyes. "It looks like the two of you have a very strong bond."

"We certainly do. He was just a kitten when I took him in on a cold, stormy winter's night two years ago, just a few weeks after I had moved here. I think he has been abandoned by either his mother or by some people because he was unwanted. Since the day I found him it has always been just him and me and we have become pretty much inseparable," Kyousuke explained while tickling his furry friend gently behind its ears. "But how rude of me, since you have never met before I should introduce the two of you to each other, shouldn't I?"

"Ano Mao…I…I don't think that's such a good…," Daisuke began, but before he could finish what he had been about to say Kyousuke had put the cat into his arms and he could only stare at the feline, afraid of what he knew would happen next, but instead his assistant's pet did something that left him flabbergasted and stupefied for after having sniffed Daisuke's hands and fingers a couple of times Roku nestled himself against the handsome celebrity's chest and began to purr contentedly.

"It seems that my kitty has taken an instant liking to you," Kyousuke remarked smiling mildly. "Usually he tends to be a little shy around strangers."

"I…I'm quite astonished as well," Daisuke stammered and after a moment of hesitation he began to pet the feline gingerly and with the utmost care. "Animals are naturally afraid of vampires you know? They usually hiss at us, take flight or even attack us because they feel threatened. Your Roku is a really special guy to be so friendly with me and trusting despite me being a vamp."

"My kitty is one of a kind," Kyousuke remarked proudly and offered his employer another smile before finally leading the way into the living room. "Please make yourself at home while I get the books and the DVDs for you," he said once they were inside and pointed towards his sofa.

Nodding his understanding Daisuke set Roku down and headed over to the small, yet comfortable looking living room suite where he sat down while Kyousuke disappeared into his bedroom only to reemerge from it a couple of minutes later, carrying a stack of comics.

"The series is still ongoing and to date there are eleven volumes of the manga, four novels and two DVD boxes," the ebony-haired youth explained as he set the stack down in front of his employer. "I hope that studying some of these materials will make the preparation for the audition a little easier for you."

"I have no doubt about that," Daisuke exclaimed happily. "I'm sure that all this will be a great help to me. Thank you Mao."

"You are welcome and don't worry. I'm certain that you will pass the audition without any difficulty. June the fifteenth, that's the day after the final performance of 'Dracula', isn't it," the so addressed youth replied softly and couldn't help but let out a slightly dejected sigh, a detail which Daisuke immediately picked up on.

"Mao, what is it," he asked gently and placed his hand onto the young man's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "What's bothering you? Please tell me."

"It's…It's nothing really," Kyousuke stammered after a moment of hesitation, his cheeks slowly turning pink. "It's just that I have accompanied you to a few rehearsal sessions for that musical and I would have loved to see the final performance or any other performance for that matter, but unfortunately I won't be able to since 'Kashinfu' is going to be on at the same time."

"I see, so that's why you are suddenly looking so unhappy," Daisuke mused thoughtfully and fell silent for a moment before he finally spoke up again. "Listen Mao, if I remember correctly the curtain for 'Kashinfu' will rise a few days after the premier of 'Dracula', right? So, since you won't be able to watch the final performance, why don't you come and watch the premier instead? The theater has some VIP seats and I can get you a VIP pass, meaning that you won't have to pay anything in order to be able to watch the performance. How does that sound?"

"Watanabe-san! Are you serious," the ebony-haired youth exclaimed wide-eyed, unable to hide his excitement and his face immediately lit up again. "You would really do that for me?"

"But of course I would," Daisuke replied smiling mildly, "you are my assistant after all and on top of that a new friend as well, so it will be my pleasure to secure you a VIP pass for the premier of 'Dracula'. However, we need to do something about this 'Watanabe-san'…I already thought in Hokkaido that your addressing me like that is much too formal now that we have become friends."

"Then how should I address you," Kyousuke asked curiously and raised his eyebrows in an inquisitive manner. "How do your friends usually call you?"

"They call me Dai-chan," the renowned actor replied casually and chuckled lightly. "I really like that nickname, so why don't you call me Dai-chan from now on…if you like that is."

"Alright, then let me try it," Kyousuke stated good-naturedly and locking gazes with his employer and new friend he offered him a warm smile. "Dai-chan, I know it has been a relatively long day already, but if you aren't too exhausted would you be my guest for a little longer and have a cup of coffee with me? And I think we also still have some leftovers of that 'special delivery' in case you prefer blood to coffee."

"I'd be delighted to stay for a cup of coffee," Daisuke answered huskily, the gentleness with which Kyousuke had called his nickname making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

**A/N: **And that's it for this chapter. Once again I'm leaving you with a cliffhanger, though this cliffy isn't as bad as the one in the previous chapter.

I hope you enjoyed the read and please take a moment to leave me a little comment with your thoughts and opinions. Every single comment is appreciated and cherished.

**As usual: 5 reviews = new chapter**

And here a few questions to ponder upon until the next update:  
What is Yamada's plan and will he succeed?  
Will the premier of 'Dracula' go well?  
How will Dai-chan get on in his preparation for the audition?  
Will the rehearsals affect his and Mao's relationship and if so, in which manner?  
Find the answers in the next chapter of "Eternal Moon"!

Until then, take care!  
Princess Serenity-chan


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